IS Virus: Episode 2-2 - Cross
by tonbonkittybon
Summary: Phantom Task and Cecilia are making waves in the very few days they've set foot inside Canada. They've also uncovered a mystery no one has yet been able to solve, one that may fracture relations between countries. Can they find out what's really going on, or was it already too late?
1. Wrinkle-B-Gone

_IS Virus: Episode 2-2 - Cross_

 _Part 1: Wrinkle-B-Gone_

 **-FALSE CREEK, BRITISH COLUMBIA PROVINCE-**

Vancouver. The sun rising over the city skyline. The perfect setting for a brisk swim in the pond. Or not, if you're into a more thrilling fulfilling. Which was exactly what Sokoto got the instant he hit the water. He felt the chill surging throughout his body, recharges rging his cells and pumping his morale. This was what he needed to wake up to. And he used his wake up to leap out of the water and onto the boat, where he was greeted by metal fists and streaming bullets. He blocked all of them then threw his shield at a pilot, who dodged it and charged a fist at him. He swerved around it and roundhouse kicked her head before landing in a crouching stance and catching his shield. Which inadvertently caught a heel from someone. That woman flipped backwards and landed in front of the steering wheel, alongside another pilot.

"Not bad for an early morning warm up, eh?" She said.

"Not at all," Sokoto stretched, "So I take it you're UN?"

"Yep, and we have orders," she pointed beside her, "At least you got an audience."

Sokoto looked that direction and winced at the sudden cheering fan club. He turned back, "So, easy way or hard way..."

"Hard way," she leaned back and kicked up a sword hilt to her hips.

"Autumn's in that giant stadium thingy," Sokoto pointed, "Madoka's...near it? I dunno, I think she's close by..."

The woman, apparently the squad leader, winked at the pilots, who took off towards their respective boss battles, fully aware of how psycho their targets are.

"You seem quite friendly with hostiles," the leader noted.

"I make it a point to get to know everyone, friend or foe," Sokoto quipped.

"Well, no wonder why everyone here likes you," the leader unsheathed her CROSSGUARD LIGHTSABER?! Oh, I give up. "At least we can end your adventure on a satisfying note."

The area suddenly became a field all its own. People gathered around to witness the renegade in action. Cars have been redirected to the BC Place. Phones and cameras were let loose on the ensuing fight.

"Well, we've done a good job so far of forgetting all of our troubles in the first place," Sokoto said, "Let's remind us of that unnecessary bullshit." He took the first attack, flinging his shield at her. She swatted it away. She twirled her saber into an underhanded grip and punched his incoming kick. He was forced backwards in midair, but he could see her running with him and leaping up to strike. Luckily, his shield came back to his arm in time to block the incoming slash. The flying sparks temporarily blinded him, so he couldn't see himself hitting the floor hard. But he could sense her swinging her sword down, so he bounced the shield from the floor to her, making her slash the shield instead, planting her side on his fist. She was rocketed back a couple feet but recovered to an immediate stop, flashing her hair and putting her hand on her side. He caught his shield again and marveled at how that gut punch did nothing to her.

"Not bad, little hero," she said.

"Ick," Sokoto whispered, "I can't tell if she's toying or flirting with me..."

"May I have your name?"

Name? Normally, he'd be all for it to spread word about him, but judging from her aura... "Give me your name, and I shall give you mine."

"Very well," she spun her sword and put it on her back, and crouched down a bit to prepare to rush him again, "I'm Stephanie Pfeiffer. And you?"

He took his fighting stance, "Sokoto Fukuyama." When he finished, his shield was suddenly struck aside by Stephanie.

"Pleasure," she said as she kicked him off the boat.

 **-BC PLACE-**

Autumn somehow managed to avoid total annihilation from the drones. She sat on the ground, playing with the rocks until she saw something approaching from the sky. She guessed it was a lost missile and tried to blow it up with her wings' wind blades. To her amazement, that thing withdrew her IS and twirled around to dodge the blades, then redeployed her IS to continue pursuit.

"Alright!" Autumn got excited, "Now we're talking!" She fully deployed her Shinomure and caught the pilot's blades. The raw speed carried them both into the lounge area. The damage caused collapsed part of the upper floor and felled the stands to the lower level. When the dust cleared, the UN pilot threw Autumn down and plunged her sword downward. Autumn blew her off target with her wind blades and punched her back. They quickly recovered and charged each other, colliding elbows and holding each other in a deadlock.

"What are you doing here anyway?" The pilot asked.

"Dunno. Ask the renegade," Autumn snarked.

The pilot raised her sword to catch Autumn off guard. But Autumn leaned back and allowed the pilot forward, leaving a massive opening. She kicked the pilot upward and blasted her and the stands to the roof. She looked up and waited for the pilot's next move. The pilot snatched one of the Olympic Rings, the blue one, and flung it towards Autumn.

"Yes, thank you!" Autumn exclaimed, "Finally, someone gets it!" She kicked the ring out into the field, but lost some energy because of it. And the kick's recoil left a huge opening for the pilot to pound down.

 **-ACROSS THE SKY-**

Meanwhile, Madoka has her own problems. The supposed strongest, most lethal woman in Phantom Task can't even land a glancing hit on a measly UN agent. They were zigzagging all over the sky, trying to get a solid hit on each other. It wasn't because Madoka was slow. It was because her opponent was too fast. Her IS was clearly made for pursuits and races, so weak defensive capabilities mean next to nothing. Madoka's frustration evolved into uncontrollable rage. Each swing missed was a giant laser tag on the streets. Each successful hit was outright blocked. She had never been toyed with like this before. She got really angry. Her casket was fully blown off when she saw Sokoto fighting a UN squad leader. She beelined towards the boat.

And he felt it, "No, wait wait WAIT I CAN EXPLAIN-"

She crashed into the boat, ripping it in half. The leader safely landed on another boat, while Madoka rattled Sokoto.

"CAN'T I GO ONE DAY WITHOUT HAVING TO PICK UP AFTER YOU?!" She shook.

"Short answer, nope!" Sokoto pointed behind her. The pilot got a solid hit on Madoka's shoulder, but couldn't escape the Twin Lance blast. Madoka turned back around and charged at Stephanie. She kept swinging at her, but Stephanie deflected every strike with her saber. Sokoto threw his shield at her, and she slid under it on her knees. He rushed to her and tried to hammer kick her, but she struck him. He reeled around and rolled back against the wheel. Madoka was about to critically injure her when Autumn suddenly crashed into her mid strike. Madoka got Autumn's target, and Autumn somehow got Madoka's target.

"I'm sorry!" Sokoto shouted, "QUELLE COÏNCIDENCE?!"

Madoka quickly got back up and helped Autumn to her feet, "Open your eyes next time..."

"And give myself PTSD?" Autumn looked at the oncoming threats circling them, "No fucking thanks."

 **-QUÉBEC PROVINCE-**

And the battle was broadcast live...via everything social media.

"Dear me," Cecilia said, "It's as if you wanted to be found."

Cecilia was taxied on her way to the Québec Institute of Research and couldn't resist checking on the chaos the renegade let on, per usual circumstances. She already swore she would have him before anyone else, so she was confident that they would overpower the UN people. She closed everything off and looked out the window, as brim and proper as ever. But she couldn't help but wonder about the renegade's facial expressions. They looked like he was having the time of his life, not on a rampaging murder streak. Though, really, he couldn't help himself sometimes. But all trains of thought stopped as soon as she saw the bright pillar of the Institute.

She gasped, "How do they not have pilots, but have this giant thing?..."

After she cleared the security gate, she was greeted by two leading scientists.

"Welcome, Miss Alcott," one of them shook her hand, "We've been expecting you."

"So you got my message about the Maple Slinger," Cecilia said.

"Yes, come inside. We have much to discuss."

The inside resembled a majestic mecha castle, with pillars pulsing strobe lights and bright glossy walls. The windows opened to the view of the research and testing labs, where the 6th Generation Maple Slinger was being finalized. They walked in and approached the Slinger with great pride.

"So, this is the thing we'll bring to the showcase..." Cecilia rubbed her hands on the surface, feeling the raw power hum throughout the unit.

"Yes," a lead scientist said, "We will feature this alongside another IS that Rachel's team is bringing."

"Wait-RACHEL?!" Cecilia hated everything already, "What happened to Chelsea?!"

"She was called away due to family matters."

"Oh, poppycock..." she thought of Chelsea as her warden and torturer now.

"Do we need anything else to ensure safe arrival?"

"No... I assume you have already obtained permission from the Prime Minister and President?"

"In letters, both signed and sealed." They gave her the letters to post to the public.

"Ok," she breathed, "Let's get this thing rolling."

They spent the day planning the demo. The first part was perfecting the IS, drawing out and fixing problems with functionality. They got into a small test, making sure that everything ran smoothly. Once that was done, then came the headaches.

"And to what do I owe the dishonor of having you?" It was Rachel Weaver.

"Just get me Blackett," Cecilia griped.

"Can't. She went to Vienna to give her two cents to the EU. Besides, why would she want to associate with the likes of you, anyway?"

At that point, Cecilia gave up, "Look. It's no secret we hate each other, but we're dealing with something bigger than our own hissy fit. Can we just please put aside our own personal issues aside for just one week?"

Rachel pretended to think about it before she said, "Why don't we make a deal?"

"Oh, boy," Cecilia wagged at a worker, "Get the camera."

"No cameras!" Rachel protested, "No recordings, or no deal!"

"Well, they caught that "why don't we make a deal" part. And I was able to save some of my fortune. And the Queen knows how much you hate my guts."

"As does my own father..." Rachel growled, "It's not THAT kind of deal, Alcott. Just stay away from the renegade and let my team take care of him. Do this, and we'll bring it over."

"Oh..." Cecilia was disappointed at the rapidly built tension that led nowhere, but decided to go along with it, "Fine. Deal."

"Very well," Rachel said, "We're settled...for now." Disconnected.

"Oh boy...that was rough..." Cecilia wiped the sweat from her brow.

"And quick," someone said, "Do you two have bad blood?"

"Yes," Cecilia said, "But no one bothers to explain why...At any rate, we have the necessary components to make this event happen. Do we have any transport for this thing?"

"We'll need to accommodate security during and after."

"Ok. Let's contact the local populace and let them know what's going on."

They got on it. They informed the mayor of Montreal on what's going on, who informed the lieutenant governor of Québec, who announced it online. The people were at a frenzy. Not only did they just witness an epic fight between two clashing forces, but there was now a search for the third force to arise. No compatibility test needed, just come down to Mount Royal Park, place your hands on the ISs, try to move it, and then take a survey. The sudden flaring of the rumors that the renegade and the former Rep Candidate of England will clash eventually crashed the website. By sunset, Canada was holding Cecilia, Sokoto, and the U.K. to their word.

Luckily, preparations for transportation were completed before the internet was able to jump ship. Cecilia was helping the very heavy Slinger when she caught wind of what happened online.

"What happened to the morale of the..." Cecilia dropped her purse on someone who had already fainted, "Is Canada really that needy?"

"It's not that we can't develop our own ISs," a worker said, "It's that we haven't had one since the 2nd Generation."

"Why not? I know I ask that a lot, and I have gotten many answers, but I can't seem to get a straight answer."

"Well, there was one. But this doesn't circulate outside of the development section of the IS."

"Really? Who?"

"You know the name Squall?"

"Squall Meusel?! The Phantom Task agent?!"

"Yep. She was born with 4/5ths Canadian blood. She managed to escape her abusive father to America and flourished out of his hands. But I guess the trauma and stress was too much for her, so she snapped." (If only...)

"Well, that's news to me. Still doesn't excuse the way she attacked all those people."

"I know. If I had to guess, and this I know is stretching it, but someone must've found out about her true origins, so that person is trying very hard to prevent another Squall."

"Extreme measures? Why would they take it that far?"

"Beats me. Hey, help me strap this on her."

"Right," Cecilia deployed her IS and yanked the bungee string down to secure the truck.

Once the truck was ready, everyone celebrated with an outdoor dinner. It was a much needed relaxation time to counter the hectic pace of the sudden arrivals and situations that don't know the meaning of the word breathe. Lively brawls and sprawls were had, complete with the utter embarrassment felt only by Cecilia during a game of Blind Man's Bluff. After the celebration, she waved goodbye as she was taxied back to her hotel. She was confident that everything would go exactly as planned. Just two hitches.

One involved the lead scientist, who got an anonymous message that read, "Did she stop by?" The lead texted back, "The event will proceed. Everything is going as planned."

The other involved... "What the hell did you do?!"

"I did what I thought was right, Blanket. And for your information, I was duly informed that you were attending to UN business."

"Yes, I was. But flaring an entire country on an empty promise?! Have you lost it?!"

"Why should I be bothered by you, anyway?! Goodbye." Disconnected. Contact blocked. Why...

 **-RITZ-CARLTON MONTREAL-**

Cecilia finished her shower and lounged around in the living room. She decided to kick back when she saw the news:

"Earlier today, the UN squadron failed to rein in Phantom Task over False Creek. The battle lasted under an hour-"

She wasn't surprised. He managed to outlast Tabane after all. Which reminded her, she needed to text Tatenashi about something. She checked her phone for any messages, and she got one from her:

-We were right! The renegade's a total idiot! IT'S ;3 TIME!

She responded, "Lure him to me." And she went back to her makeup desk to clear her lipstick. When she looked in the mirror, she noticed a few of her forehead wrinkles clearing up already.

She was amazed, "My...looks like that money really was a waste..." She gently brushed off her lips and her cheeks, caressing every inch of her now soften skin. She marveled. This was what she needed to lure the renegade to her. She immediately went to her bedroom to prepare.

 **-SOUTH OF MOUNT CRICKMER, BRITISH COLUMBIA PROVINCE-**

Phantom Task were once again on the road, reflecting their time in the province as one of the best adventures they've ever had. Well, two of them.

Madoka was tuckered out. This trip forced her to interact in ways she thought belittling to herself. And by the end of it, she was exhausted from the number of times she danced, fought, ran with people, from people, etc.

"I think it's safe to say that Nyadoka's the real loser," Autumn drove and pointed the mirror to the hibernating kitty.

"I am still shocked she gave me her number," Sokoto said while looking at the UN agent's business card, which had been S.W.A.K.'d, "You sure this ain't just so the UN can track us?"

"If anything, I'll bet tracking us would be a side benefit to them," Autumn said while admiring the view of the mountain.

"Are they really that starved for a pilot?"

"Yep. What else would you expect when you can't use the very things you make?"

"Huh..."

"Still...I'm surprised she let you go."

"Let me go? Uhhhh..." he thought back to the moment when Stephanie did a sudden sword rain attack, and he managed to block it long enough to expose a weak spot in the center of the attack. He jumped on the opportunity and punched through. And it looked like it would've connected, had she not purposefully moved her chest to create a moment 1-to-1 reminiscent of his first encounter with Cecilia.

"We gotta find Canada a pilot..." he was embarrassed, "before the fervor gets outta hand and I get another infection..."

"That might be a problem..." Autumn projected an image she had saved earlier. The image came from a Facebook page, Canada's Next Top Gun, an event showcasing two 6th Generation models and a search for whoever can make them move. All were invited, as the event will be hosted by not only the Prime Minister, but also Cecilia Alcott.

"COOTIE WOMAN!" he shouted, "So, that's why she's spreading her cootie-riddled fleabag all over! She's daring me to waltz right in and let her haul me away to parts unknown!"

"Hundred bucks says trap."

"Thousand bucks says I can bust that bear trap wide unclosable!"

"Oh, good luck with that," Autumn shook her head and looked up. The Auroral Borealis were coming out to play again. Sokoto's bracelet pulsated its glow with the rhythm of the Borealis. He tinkered with it a little before starting his rant. And he dragged Autumn into this.

"Hey, Sil. Me again. Just wanted to talk. I got Autumn here with me! Say hi, Autumn!"

"Uh...I can't, I-I-I'm driving here..."

"I know that, just a wave and a hi is all!"

"Uh...hi...Silvia-HOLY SHIT!"

"Waaahaaahahhahaaaa!"

"Nope, just kidding."

"YOU COULDA MADE ME CRAP MYSELF!"

"But you didn't, that's the most important thing. Now let me find a way out of here."

"Fine...so, things are getting crazy here in maple country. The UN and the fans here are absolutely-"

"Did you seriously say maple country?"

"Yeah, what about?"

"Canada has more than maple syrup, ok? It also has that stadium thing I almost totaled."

"And it also has that guy who died before the thing even started."

"Oh, yeah, hahahahaa! Ah, that's rich."

"And we're wrapping up our stay in British Columbia on a triumphant note. And we're going to Québec. Because COOTIE WOMAN! Is there waiting for us. With her evil little henchmen and her devious traps. Possibly trying to find another pilot is nearly impossible. Me going to England...why? Rabbit girl and Ponyboy...double why? And Squall-I said I ran into her father the other day. Had a real tough time getting over the loss. Yeah...still feels like Squall's still around. At least I was able to redeem her at the last minute...but, I'm still bummed out."

"That was his father?!"

"Uh...yeah..."

"How did..."

"It'll take a while. The thing is, we gotta do more of that."

"Of what?"

"Helping people. Y'know, lifting them up, finding lost people, absolutely raining down the fire of judgment ON ALL WHO WOULD DARE TO INFRINGE UPON THE RIGHT TO LIFE! AND RIP THEIR MINDS FROM THEIR SOULS AND THEN-"

"Ok, horn dog."

"Hey, what are you-"

"This guy's too much. I don't know how you put up with him."

"Hey, buzz off, peanut!"

"Him loco pico!"

"I ain't loco! Anyway...we gotta find Claire, this girl's long lost mother. We gotta find a new pilot. We gotta fend off the UN peeps. We got so much to do, it drained Madoka of all her energy. We have to stick together now more than ever."

"If we can keep up with your ungodly fast ass."

"Hey, I don't slow down for no one. Neither does the world."

"Yeah...and so ends another day on our seemingly pointless escort mission."

"We'll be back when things start to pick up, eh?"

"Hey, no copying other people's customs!"

"And end!" Sokoto said as his bracelet stopped glowing, "Mmmmm! Thanks for that, Autumn!"

"Uh...sure thing, kid," Autumn acted shyly, "but it was just a rant. Nothing to thank over."

"Yeah, but you gotta do it once in a while," Sokoto stretched and put on his new earbuds, "get your mind off the tension."

"Ok, then. Pick something else to be thankful for."

Sokoto thought about it for a second, then said, "How about the time you two worked together to bail me out?"

Autumn flinched. She was suddenly reminded of the time in Japan she warned Madoka of the giant sphere of death, and again most recently at the boat battle. They rushed over the instant it opened and successfully coordinated a rescue attack. Together. Normally, they would find that word repulsive. But now, it seemed...welcoming.

"No...problem..." Autumn said. When she got no response, she looked at him. He was sleeping to, funny enough, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day. His bracelet was glowing again, but it was pulsating its glow to the rhythm of the song. She let it go. They needed the rest. But she was already used to the hectic pace of life, so she could carry on the rest of the team with little effort. She simply concentrated on the road ahead, still enjoying the scenery while blocking out all unnecessary distractions.

Unfortunately, and unknowingly, she also blocked out the girl with the kanji fan, who was sitting atop Mount Crickmer, "Ughhhh...these clothes are so musty! How do Eskimos stand this type of thick wool?!" Tatenashi tore off her jacket and suddenly eyed the truck. "Oh?" She looked through her binoculars and saw the sleeping tiger, "I spy with my little eye someone in dire need of an education." She sent texts to Cecilia, "I'm leaving BC. Byie!", a UN lead, "Target entering Alberta from Highway 1", and a third contact, "Целевая поездка в Альберту с шоссе 1". She sighed. Being a double agent is one thing. Juggling three missions is a completely different world. She would've been content with taking on two, but then she heard her Russian superiors celebrating over Cecilia's breakdown. She took it upon herself to make her clean her mess, whatever it took. Even if it meant revisiting the very thing that permanently severed Ichika's friendship with her. Actually, no. It meant exactly that, because Cecilia was never one to let go of her targets either. She took her fan out and checked its symbol. The word "traitor" has not disappeared since yesterday.

"You don't have to tell me twice," she stood up and stretched her body out. She looked up at the dancing lights, then back at the truck, now distant from her view. "Welp...Eh, I'm over it already. Let's get me back in it." She deployed her Mysterious Lady and gently floated down the mountain.


	2. Way Too Early For This

_Part 2: Way Too Early For This_

 **-LOCAL FLEA MARKET, QUÉBEC PROVINCE; THREE DAYS TO SHOWCASE-**

Cecilia was shopping in a thrift store for comfort-fit clothing. She thought hard about what would attract a teenage boy to the point of stupification. She consulted her new friends for advice, and they went with her to shop for vintage clothing, shorts, skinny jeans, and other cheap stuff they thought might make the renegade drool. Of course they knew about the impending showdown, but they have friends luring him to outlet malls, much to her confusion. This was looking less like a showdown and more like a fashion battle. Not that she minded, because everything was going according to plan anyway, so it was up to her to make ends meet. And, well, planning for a fight was never this much fun.

"Are you sure he'll come for this?" Cecilia held up a Mega Milk t-shirt.

"Positive," her friend said, "He's the kind of guy into old school stuff, and that shirt is forever etched in Japanese doujinshi legend. The way those words are stitched will get him gawking and drooling."

"Uh...I can see why..." Cecilia put it on and blushed, "It's a little tight around the waist, but the...oh my..."

"Say it loud, say it proud!" Her friend groped her, "Now, THIS is how you get a guy's attention!"

Cecilia bopped her forehead and conked her out, "Don't you have anything normal for me to wear?!"

"What's wrong?" Another groupie, "Afraid to step outta your comfort zone?"

"There's a very thin line between comfort and revealing, and we are walking that tightrope on the verge of falling over!" Cecilia protested.

"Lighten up, Cece! There's three days left until the big fight! No need to stress out over every single detail."

"Oh, yes there is. Especially when you have to strike a balance between them! And HIM."

"What are you on about?"

"I was first-kiss-RAPED by that conniving rat! I have to return the favor and rape his senses-"

And her friends pushed her out the door, "You need dire R and R. The Prime Minister invited us to dinner, and you can't obsess over him like this."

"The who's gonna what?!"

"Day spa. Right now. Let's go."

She Cecilia stuttered utter gibberish as she was dragged into relaxation.

Where all pretense of tension melted away into sweet pedicures and massages. The all sighed in unison.

"I can get used to this..." Cecilia moaned as she her back was rubbed in all the right ways.

"A nice day of lazing around got nothing on nothing," her friend said.

Cecilia was about to say something, when she noticed the way the masseuse's thumbs nudge in the area just below her lower back. Kinda reminded her of...SLAP YO DAMN SELF OUTTA THE STICK!

"Whoa!" A friend said, "You slap yourself?"

"Is something the matter, miss?" The masseuse asked.

"No, nothing," Cecilia assured them, "Just thinking is all."

"About that man?" Oh god please don't- "That other male pilot?"

Why...

"Didn't he kill that pilot? Squall, I think?" NOT YOU TOO!

"Boy, the renegade's gonna be pissed!"

"Can we talk about something else?" Whatever relaxation Cecilia felt was gone now.

She didn't know what to think about Ichika or the renegade. All illusions of a married life were shattered the instant she saw the picture. She got it. He did what he had to do. But it still didn't feel right.

And speaking of men, the renegade snuck up in her mind again. They showed her a picture of him atop a boat. At first, she just rolled her eyes, but she looked once more at the picture. He has her exact same eye color and hair color. Not only that, but his eyes were not murder killer eyes. If she isolated him from everything else, she would be staring at someone who has never been outside and only heard stories, and he finally got the chance to experience the wonders of the world. Cleverly disguising a rude, malevolent, wisecracking-get off of it. She can't be thinking about that now.

She will interrogate the both of them when the time is right. For now, she has a dinner to prepare for.

 **-EAU CLAIRE FESTIVAL PARK, ALBERTA PROVINCE** -

Madoka was leaning back against the tree, watching the beginning of a marathon with Tatenashi of all people, "I can't believe you're talking to me in the open like this..."

"It's the brakes," Tatenashi said, "I've double-crossed so many people since entering the Academy, it's ridiculous."

"I guess..."

"Still, I can't believe you're back in Phantom Task."

"Not really. It's just me and two other idiots walking around with thumbs up our asses not knowing what the flying fuck we're supposed to do."

"What? Did Squall tell you anything last minute?"

"Get him to England. Why? Because fuck you, just get him to England, fuck you very much."

Tatenashi chuckled at the bluntness of that answer. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

Madoka jolted at the question.

 **-A FEW HOURS AGO-**

The squad stopped at a gas station to top off. Autumn was dead tired and needed a pick me up. She ended up buying three cases of Red Bull because she wasn't paying attention. She walked out and saw Sokoto finishing up.

"Whoa! Autumn! You ok?" He said.

"I think so..." she threw the cases in the front, "Ok, kid. Let's hit the road."

"Uh...sure you don't want M's help?"

"She's a demon when waking up. I don't need her to ruin it."

He sensed her aura contradicting her words, "Ok, but we gotta down one of these things first."

"Yep, you're right," she tossed him a can and they drank. They went in the truck and sat there for a whole minute.

"Feel anything?"

"Nope, it's defective."

"Maybe it works better in numbers."

"Help," she tore open a case and divided half among herself and Sokoto.

 **-PRESENT-**

"I can't even..." Madoka groaned from the resultant wrath of the bull. But it wasn't over yet. She saw the truck zoom in on the parking lot, loud music blaring, whooping, and screeching to a halt. One of the doors was kicked off the truck, and out popped the version of the renegade without any common sense or restraint. He jumped off, taking several empty cans and the three empty caseholders with him.

"Beautiful night, girls!" He said way too enthusiastically, "You take it to the limit. I respect that. Hit me on the cell this week. Let'ssssssss do it again!"

The girls giggled and cheered. Autumn then exclaimed, "Hey, if anyone asks us what we did tonight, y'all take it slooooooow."

"OWWWWW!" They all howled.

"Hey, Forte," Sokoto hopped on the truck's footstep, "I hardly know you, but I already feel comfortable-" nose touch "-look how close I'm getting."

Madoka and Tatenashi propped up. Forte? Forte?! As in, Forte Sapphire?! Yes! There's no denying that blue princess-like hair! WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING HERE?!

What's even more amazing is that she used her chest to push him away from the truck!

"Sorry, front side's taken!" She yelled, "but I can let you in through the back!"

"I'd be delighted, Missy Moo Moo!" Sokoto signed off on them not knowing what the hell he just said, and they blew kisses and waved back before driving off to parts unknown. He yanked a crushed van from his shoes and ran in the direction of Madoka's aura, "Hey, Madoka! Madoka's friend! It's me! Sokoto!"

"Oh, god no..." Madoka groaned.

"M! M! I'm here!" He yelled until he got within point blank range, "Hi, M! I'm here!"

"How do you do, Mr. Here?" Tatenashi extended her arm.

"Brand spanking diddlydoooooorific!" He high fived her.

"Tight!" She returned. And they came up with an impromptu handshake that ended with a WHAT UUUUUP!

"The hell were those people?!" Madoka interrupted.

"Oh, them?" Sokoto fired rapidly, "That's Autumn, and my new friends Forte, Johanna, Sammy, and Frankie-" breathlessly exasperated with glee "-FORTE'S A PILOT-" normal hyper speak "-We hit a couple dozen raves last night. It was totally off the hoOOOOK!"

Madoka rolled her eyes.

Tatenashi marveled at his unrivaled energy and commented, "Yeah, you seem a little hyper."

"Yeah, I had a couple Red Bulls," he said, "Have you ever had a Red Bull? I never had a Red Bull, but I had a Red Bull last night and I rEEEEally like Red Bull." He noticed his new neck wear, "I got a new necklace. It glows in the dark, but you can't really see it right now, unless you do this." He covered his eyes with his hands and swerved his head as if he was trying to see.

"That's really something," Madoka growled.

"Say, doesn't that Red Bull stuff make you crash, like, pretty hard?" Tatenashi asked.

"Huh, no," Sokoto jittered, "No, not really, no I don't think so, no. Hey, after we run, we should get a Red Bull! You could get a Red Bull. I could get a Red Bull. We could share a Red Bull."

"Run?" Madoka was shocked, "Wait, you wanna-"

"Red Bull."

"We still need to get-"

"Red Bull."

"Will you just shu-"

"Red Bull."

"You are the w-"

"RRREDDA BULLAAAA!"

There were so many things wrong with the past few minutes that Madoka threw her hands up in disbelief, as if to ask God why.

Sokoto's hands went haywire, "R~reedyyeeDDA BULLllaaaa..."

"I can't deal with this," Madoka stormed off while Sokoto was prancing around in place like a deer that got stung in the rear.

"Pretty darn excited, aren't ya?" Tatenashi led him to the starting line, "Ok, y'all, the renegade's joining the race!" Cheers and applause, "Everybody, this is Sokoto. Sokoto, this is everybody."

"Heeey, everybodyyyyy!" Sokoto frolicked, "What say we get into shippity-shape!" Everyone cheered until the gun went off to start the marathon. Sokoto hung back and high-fived anyone he could reach, but after thirty seconds he could no longer contain his inner bull. He ran fast and hard.

"Alright, mission sta-Holy shit!" Tatenashi noticed how unusually fast he was and tried to keep up. It wasn't even close. Through the tv screens littered throughout the course, she saw his extreme agility. He was able to do flips, tricks, and rail grinds throughout the race, and was even able to photobomb several spectators!

The entire 26.2 mile race stretched into the city, and back out to the park area. Tatenashi expended her energy trying to keep pace with Sokoto, but was forced to lead the pack when she tired out. Sokoto finished the race in 1:45:22.67, one of the fastest run times in Alberta history. But the instant he broke the string and crossed the finish line, he crashed. He fell flat on his face and just stayed there. Tatenashi found him 30 minutes later, still on the ground. She knelt beside him, "Hey, kid? Are you ok?"

"UUGGHH..." Sokoto unconsciously grunted.

"Ok," Tatenashi set to work, "Hold it right there." She connected a wire from her fan to his bracelet and tried to copy the data from the Silver Streamline. The connection established and began downloading. "That's it, that's good," she said, but when it reached 15% completion,

ACCES DENIED. ALL USERS BLOCKED, MANUAL REBOOT REQUIRED.

"What, why?!" she winced. Just then, she noticed the incoming stampede of runners and marathon enthusiasts. "Oh, fu-" She and Sokoto were mowed down.

 **-ONE HOUR LATER-**

Tatenashi and Phantom Task were settled under an oak tree. Madoka curled up against the trunk, Sokoto and Autumn spread their limbs all over the grass while drinking 20 bottles of water, and Tatenashi was holding an ice pack to her head while observing the phenomenon that was the renegade.

"OGH!" he finished, "Ooo, dat look good!"

Tatenashi tried to ask, "You finished ye-"

"DAT LOOK GOOD!" He slammed his belly on the grass.

"Well..." she just kept quiet until he sat up and cracked his neck.

"Ohhhhh..." he moaned, "Oh, I needed that so badly..."

"Glad I could help," Tatenashi said, "So, what brings you to Canada?"

"At this point, I have no idea," Sokoto wagged, "We escaped Japan, but...that's it. We escaped Japan."

"So, you're just wandering around?"

"I think...so?" Sokoto said, "I mean, we got saddled with two side quests. I'd say three, but-" gonna yell in Autumn's ear "-COOTIE WOMAN-" Punch. Fall. Dazed. "...she can find a pilot..."

"How do you manage to control him?" Tatenashi asked.

"Pure luck..." Autumn rubbed her forehead, "And a fuck ton of patience."

"DON'T GET SNIPPY WITH ME, WOMAN!" Sokoto pointed at her, bracelet pulsing, "We still gotta find Claire! AAAAAAAAAND! We gotta find out exactly why there ain't no pilots here! My guess iiiiiiiis!" Middle fingers to the sky "PAGANS!" And he collapsed.

"What is with his obsession with pagans?" Tatenashi asked.

"I'm gonna say he suffered PTSD while visiting a place..." Autumn joked.

Madoka was pushed to the background. From there, she was able to see the renegade recover quickly and socialize with the park goers, along with Tatenashi and Autumn to some extent. Which got her thinking. The intense family bonding session they had before leaving Japan...did any of that get to their minds at all? Did neither of them think that they might not be around tomorrow? She never got this lonely before, and she only ever felt this way whenever she wanted to slash her face unrecognizable. Now, nothing but empty feelings and half-hearted motivations. She couldn't even get angry.

"Um...hi."

A little girl interrupted her train of thought.

"Uhhhhh..." Madoka froze.

"Are you with them?"

"Uh...yeah..." Madoka looked at them socializing and wondered if they really would look for her if she's gone, "Uh...you wanna take it somewhere else?"

"Sure!" The girl pushed Madoka off onto her feet and dragged her towards the kites. She ended up flying them, spending an hour or so playing with the little kids there.

And on the other side of the park, Sokoto sensed Madoka's aura getting lighter, warmer. "Finally, she's starting to get it," he thought.

 **-PRIME MINISTER'S MANSION, ONTARIO PROVINCE-**

Cecilia and her friends were dining together in the presence of the Prime Minister of Canada. They hit the night off with casual conversation and hoopla, followed by a dinner that could make even the princess weep with awe. A private banquet just for them, where the were greeted by the PM himself, and nearly fainted. As they ate, they talked about the current state of affairs for each person, which was not easy for Cecilia to do. She stuck to her usual way and gloated her accomplishments and demonized those who got in her way, much to everyone's comedic delight. She decided to liven the party with a comedy act and a quote unquote "ballroom dance" game. They all had a ton of fun, to the point where they forgot to eat. So they settled down on the table and made merriment.

"And I should've told her to say, "You won't find any milk there, boy!"" Cecilia's friend turned her night into embarrassing stories.

"Why don't you try wearing that shirt, Gabby?!" Cecilia snapped.

"You're the only one with the boobular prowess for the job, eh! Ain't she, Sally?"

"Ok, I'm kinda getting uncomfortable with this..." Sally muttered, "Can we move on to something else?"

"Kinda hard to do with that image permanently engraved in our minds, eh?" the Prime Minister whispered before clapping his spoon and glass together. Everyone stopped to look and he said, "Everyone! I'd like to propose a toast!"

All glasses raised, except Cecilia's.

"To Cecilia Alcott," the Prime Minister continued, "who, despite her own shortcomings, took it upon herself to restore the pride of the sister nation across the pond. Praise to her Majesty herself for blessing us with a pilot who looks out for the little guys!"

Well, that's what it felt like. She came here to get away, and then this happened. She never could've imagined that she would spearhead this kind of fervor, and now all eyes were on her. Kind of exciting, really.

"Thank you, Prime Minister," she responded, "and thank you to all of you for helping me with this ambitious venture."

"Amen to that!" Sally raised her glass, prompting everyone else to raise and take a drink together.

"And now, as thanks, I have something I want to give to you," the Prime Minister walked to her and presented her with a large box, containing a giant 30k diamond, "this was refined at the Ekati mines. The highest quality possible, this is the type of diamond we use to sync the units with the pilots. I hope you can make good use of this."

Never in her life did she imagine that she would be granted his most prized possession. This was the result of having been entrusted with the utmost of dignified and classified missions. She felt like she was on top of the world. Sammy and Gabby felt proud to have been a part of the escapade.

"I swear, on my name as a-"

"You don't need to say anything more," he cut her off, "just you being here has been uplifting enough."

"Uh...thank you," Cecilia was too flustered for long sentences, so they simply exchanged bows. The audience cheered. The Prime Minister finalized the event for approval and sent her party back with a crew to begin preparing for construction of the stage for the showcase. In a Hummer H2 limousine...

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Cecilia flu-Oh, okay. Now I know why it was a Hummer, "I can't believe it! It finally going to HAPPEEEEEEEEEN!"

"I know!" Gabby jumped for joy, "We're coming on stage with a Rep Cadet for the biggest pageant of our lives!"

"And the mother of all boy bands!"

Both squee, "PERFECTED GONDOLA! EEEEEEE-" Sammy ran past them.

"Eh...what's your hurry?" Gabby asked.

"Running off my fantasies!" Sammy answered while running like a madwoman.

"Let her be," Cecilia said, "We have our own celebration!" And they resumed until she got to her hotel.

 **-RITZ-CARLTON MONTREAL, QUÉBEC PROVINCE-**

They took one last selfie and waved goodbye. Then did the good vibes simmer down. And she slammed her face into a pillow.

"UUUUUUUUUUUGH!" She muffled, "I feel like screwing Death in the rear..." she flopped on the floor, "Never had to deal with so much happening in one week! How long have I been here?" She checked her cell pho- "THREE DAYS?! IT HAS ONLY BEEN THREE DAYS?!" She retreated into a long shower, and landed on the bed, where she did a ton of self reflection when she felt like she didn't need to.

In the very short time Cecilia has been here, she has been culturally shocked by how warm Canada received her arrival. She wanted to get away from the fervor of the renegade, but it followed her here. Not only that, but she found an unexpectedly comforting feeling in her solace. Half the time she felt like a spokeswoman more than a Rep Cadet. And she was perfectly fine with it, doing less stressful work, getting far more time to relax than when she carried the massive burden of protecting herself from all kinds of enemies. The weird part is that she found herself relating to the renegade when she should consider him the ultimate enemy. Instead, he seemed like a rival. She thought about the time that used to make her want to lobotomize herself. That time it was almost like she was looking in a mirror, which made it even weirder. Imagine Cecilia embracing what seemed like a younger Cecilia. Because, of course. The difference was in the eyes. She saw eyes much purer than hers. She took out a real mirror. Her eyes have dulled somewhat. Luster faded away since...that other moment she wanted lobotomized from her brain.

And all of a sudden, the renegade seemed like a much more viable choice than Ichika. She rubbed her eyes and convinced herself to forget she ever thought that and stay in objective. She pulled out the doujin-immortalized t-shirt. "Why am I even...well, if I'm going to die, I'd rather it be out of embarrassment than anything else..." She donned the shirt, put on her lipstick, grabbed the diamondand stuck a pose for all of social media to fawn over. It was uploaded with the caption, "Last chance to grab me before the Top Gun event! Who wants some?"

Unfortunately, there was one more rush of headaches to be had. For in the moment of embarrassing admiration for the picture, the box suddenly spewed a gas smack dab in her face. She recoiled and covered her nose and mouth, "Ugh! Fluothane! What's wrong with...him..." It was a much stronger concentration, meaning instant KO. She collapsed on the bed, "No wonder...he was...so...frie...nd...ly..."


	3. Fanning the Flames

_Part 3: Fanning the Flames_

 **-RAMADA LIMITED, ALBERTA PROVINCE-**

That same time, Sokoto experienced the mother of all coincidences. He saw the picture she posted and felt uneasy for two reasons: 1) yes he blushed, and 2) he also thought this was what usually happened before something terrible happens. "Uh, anyone else getting a bad vibe from this?"

Tatenashi peeked over his shoulder, "I thought she was the one you were gonna get payback from."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Sokoto said before making some room for himself and- "COOTIE WOMAN!" -throwing the phone out the balcony.

"Uh...I was gonna use that..." Tatenashi muttered.

"Oh...oops!" Sokoto scratched his head.

"You fended off the UN three times already! How are you still so hyper?"

"Maybe because I ran into some Hulk crap in Australia?" And then he pranced around the room trying to cuddle with Madoka, who kept yanking him off, while Autumn brought two cups of tea and sat at the table with Tatenashi.

"Y'know, I can't quite put my finger on him," Tatenashi stared longingly, "he's unpredictable...almost mysterious..."

"He's an enigma, I'll give you that," Autumn sipped, "I bet he'd give Einstein a run for his money. Hell, he'd probably make Stephen Hawking crumble faster."

"Ha! I'd pay top dollar for that!" Tatenashi said, then thought back to the marathon, "Though, I was wondering...first off, I couldn't get into his IS. Tried to download a copy of the data, and it dried up on me."

"We're waiting for him to unlock it, undo the damage done by Tabane."

"Ohhhhhh...but what about his extreme reflexes?"

"Huh?"

"Not only did he flip the rails and photobomb several people and cameras, he finished under an hour fifty. That's definitely not normal."

"Well, you can thank the yakuza for that," Autumn looked at Sokoto, who was knocked down for tripping over a fork and falling on Madoka's butt, "They found him wandering alone and decided to take him in. But I'm guessing he looked at a gun like it was a race car, so they said, hey, let's train him to be Super Hitman."

"What about his world travel, though? Didn't he say he's been around?"

"I got too tired to figure it out...I feel wasted..." Autumn slumped. Tatenashi patted her head.

Around the same time Sokoto said, "Doesn't this feel like home, NYAAdoka?"

Madoka got angry. She threw him down and broke the coffee table. He winced a bit. She growled, "Don't you dare call me that again!" She deployed her sword and arms and swung down. But he blocked it with his shield bracelet.

"Why me, but not those kids at the park?" He said while deadlocked.

Madoka immediately withdrew. She took a step back, "Ha...how did you know..."

"I got the Extra Sensory ability!" Sokoto explained, "If you're nearby, not only do I know where you are, but I also know that you love hanging out with those kids!" He suddenly got a STFU aura from Autumn, but it was too late. The damage was done. Madoka hung her head down and held her tears and fists back.

"So?...What's wrong with reclaiming a lost childhood?...You wanna know why I exed my shitty parents?..." she grabbed him by the neck and yanked him up, "THEY STOLE MY CHILDHOOD AND REPLACED IT WITH FUCK YOU FOR LOOKING LIKE TWO PRODIGIES BUT ACTING LIKE A FAILURE!" and punched him across the cheek. He collapsed on the floor. Tatenashi and Autumn just stared at her panting heavily. She wiped her eyes and stormed off, "I'm going out..."

"Come back-" Tatenashi said amidst the door slamming and breaking down, "...soon...huh..."

"Well," Autumn said, "he ain't waking up any time soon..."

"Maybe I should go now..." Tatenashi made for the balcony.

"Don't let her see you," Autumn grunted as she carried him to the bathroom. Tatenashi nodded and left.

Out in the streets Madoka wandered around, hands in pockets, eyes kept down. She heard the sounds of laughter and merriment all around her, and she wanted them to die horrid deaths. And she could do it. It would be so easy given how lax the people here are. But she didn't want to. Not just right now, but ever. Something inside her convinced her that it wasn't worth it. But she couldn't discern what convinced her. She had to sit down on the curb to regain her senses. They were all screwy ever since landing in Alaska, and she almost wished they'd stay there. It didn't matter she was given a mission. It didn't matter she suddenly liked kids. It didn't even matter she screwed the renegade. Nothing mattered. And that was the most painful part.

"Are you ok?" A man spoke to her.

"Huh?" Madoka steadied her gaze.

"Just saw you out here alone and I thought I'd check up on you, is all..."

"Oh...I thought you were here to kidnap me...all black, just one white van-is that chloroform?"

"Huh? How did you smell that?"

"Phantom Task orientation. They make you do the craziest shit before you're even a trainee."

"Ok, yeah. I am here to...do that," he sat down beside her, "and that van was only 500 USD. How dare you?"

"You think I'm cheap, don't you?"

"You're dragging him along isn't exactly luxury."

"Better than being stowed in a storage van."

"It's very roomy, unlike your fleabag's muscle cars."

They both chuckled. That was one moment she actually embraced. Never thought she'd actually laughed at a joke like that.

"Still, you're taking me kidnapping you oddly well," he commented.

"Yeah," she scratched her head, "I got a lot of stuff on my mind. I need to get away somehow."

"Away from the renegade? Well, we are planning to make him join us..."

"Then why are you here alone? He's over there, at that shack hotel."

"It ain't the right time yet. Still got some preparation to do. We were lucky enough to get that Alcott chick."

"No, she's low level bait."

"Who, her? Really? Huh," he checked his watch, "Well, I gotta get back to my bigwigs back on Montreal-"

"Sure," she swiped the chloroform handkerchief and inhaled a big one.

"Holy hell, woman!" He exclaimed.

"I tell you this," Madoka said, "Whatever you're planning, it better...be worth...my...tiiii..." before passing out and slumping into his shoulder.

"Huh..." the man took a minute to process her willingness to let him take her, "Ok, then." Then he carried her to the passenger side of the van and made look like she was sleeping. He then drove off.

Thirty minutes later, Sokoto woke up in the shower tub. He jolted upright, wondering what happened since he conked out. He lost Tatenashi and Madoka's aura, but Autumn's was coming round the corner-

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." too late. She's just in a towel.

"Down," she commanded.

He sank back in the water. She tore off her towel and sat behind him. She washed his hair as if he was still in grade school. Then she started to wash his back.

"Any reason why you didn't go to a doctor?" she slowly said as she gently glided the soapy scrubs across his scars.

"I dunno," he thought, "it wasn't important to me to hide anything."

"Ok...well, what is important to you?"

"Well...a lot of things, like friends, and life...and my limbs...and getting to move around a lot..."

"I wonder, did the word "family " ever sneak into that list?"

"Huh...well..."

"Oy, how do I explain...remember what we said to Squall before she died?"

"Ulk..." Sokoto was suddenly reminded of words he probably shouldn't have been saying.

"Yeah, it's weird. And yes, it's supremely weird of me to be saying it, but we gotta stick together. I mean, we are a family now. A weird one, but still. We can't be hop-skipping anymore. Otherwise, one of us does something reckless and the rest of the crew has to stop everything and bail that one dude out of trouble."

"Oh..."

"So, you can imagine what M must be thinking right now, right?"

"Uhh," no he can't, "where is she? BLARGHP!"

Autumn doused him, "Out. And she won't be back till tomorrow."

"But we're leaving tomorrow morning!"

"Yeah...probably she'll track us down and catch up with us."

"Oh, man..."

"Yep. We'll have to pick up her slack, I think."

"Ok, I see where you're going with this..."

"Good," Autumn pinched his nipples.

"Agh!" And he felt it, "uhhh...what are you..."

"Punishment. You did the one thing no man would ever dare to do," she threw him against the wall and pressed her body against him to prevent escape, "You done fucked with a woman's heart. That calls for severe discipline."

 **-LLOYDMINSTER CITY HALL, SASKATCHEWAN PROVINCE-**

Tatenashi landed on the grass when she got two confirmation texts:

-"Захваченная: Сесилия Олкотт"

-"Захваченный: Мадока Оримура"

"Ohhhhhh..." That first one was hard for her to stomach. The fact that she basically goaded her into this long elaborate trap was bad enough, but the fact that Cecilia wouldn't shut up about Ichika even after the big event, even after graduation, made this insufferable. On top of that, ever since the attack on the Third Mondo Grosso, relations between Russia and Japan have soured. And the UK clearly sided with Japan, so this happened. She accepted the mission under the guise of teaching Cecilia what happens when she goes down the same route her friends almost went. Tatenashi herself goaded Laura into gathering the group to take down Ichika for his choice. She later got found out and was placed on his excommunicado list. God forbid he find out why Cecilia really came to Canada. Since she's also part of the UN Task Force, she has double the trouble.

"I thought this would go swimmingly," she muttered, "but, goddammit, this is almost like the abridged version of the last semester..." She readied her Mysterious Lady for indoor stealth, "Thankfully without the unnecessary fan service filler...wait, that's probably a bad thing..." She didn't allow herself any time to think as she snuck into the building's basement to retrieve extremely sensitive data.

 **-SASKATCHEWAN PROVINCE; TWO DAYS TO SHOWCASE-**

Sokoto and Autumn continued on their trip to Montreal now that the Alberta kerfuffle has been resolved. Almost. Madoka didn't come back in time to pack, so they assumed she was taken away and left. Sokoto got worried because he thought he should've worried about her yesterday, since he saw how big an impact something as simple as partying with random strangers and running with a giant flock had on the world around him. That impact shadowed over what Madoka would feel. And while Autumn was thankful that the lesson finally penetrated his brain, she couldn't help but feel it came too little too late.

 **-SOUTH SASKATCHEWAN RIVER-**

They stopped at a small diner for lunch. There, they got a chance to commune with the locals. But as soon as the food came, they sat together just talking. No hoopla, no high spirits. Just casual eat and greet.

"You're not gonna eat that?" Sokoto asked Autumn.

"Huh?!" She snapped out of her daze, "Oh...no, you can have it."

He stopped short of her conflicting aura. He knew not having the entire squad together would be a bummer. "Well, if it ain't us, then what's the deal with the kids?"

"The hell?"

"M got along with those kids just fine," he recollected, "Was her childhood really all that wracked?"

"Nah...I take it she's got an inferiority complex because she looked like Chifuyu, who's a pro beast, and Ichika, who's also a pro beast."

"Ech...I'd love to strangle his neck with his own intestines until his eyes pop out..."

"Uh..."

"Why'd Madoka act like that anyway?"

"She didn't have a role model, I guess?"

"And what about yourself?"

"Hey," she winked, "the less you know about me, the better."

"Do not tempt me, woman," Sokoto leaned in.

Autumn was about to say something, but a sudden news fanfare cut her off, followed by a shit that utterly destroyed the fan:

"England's own Cecilia Alcott is reported missing. She was seen last night at the Ritz-Carlton in Montreal when she suddenly vanished. No evidence was found to confirm assault, however authorities did note a slightly aromatic smell not connected with the hotel-"

Of all the worst coincidences to occur, why this? The entire diner was in a hushed uproar. Who was skilled enough to kidnap one of the strongest women in the world?! Autumn could not resist a chuckle. She thought that blonde bimbo finally got what was coming to her. But she looked at Sokoto, who was not at all delighted. He thought he would be the one to settle the score with her. This was just cheap to him. Then he noticed his bracelet glowing as the report went on. It responded to a testimony about a visit to the Prime Minister's mansion, then intensified when it heard mention of the contest for Canada's Next Top Gun, of which Cecilia was supposed to host. The glow stopped once the news went to commercial break.

Autumn couldn't figure out what that meant, but she guess what Sokoto meant. He took that as a sign.

"Dude, no," she said.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, and you know it," he countered.

"I don't know shit about shit!"

"Do you want to know?"

"Well..."

"Besides, what if it's the same thing with M?"

"And all of a sudden, you care."

"Yeah! And I don't know why..."

"So, we're going on your magical glowing illuminating bracelet which you can't even open up to..."

"I just felt it, ok?" He stuttered. He never felt like this for an adversary. The only way this happened was...ok. Now he knows why that hulk guy mistook him for Squall, "Her father..."

"Her father what?"

"Nothing," Sokoto quickly finished his meal, "I've already accepted the mission. I'm going to bail them both out." He stormed out.

"On what grounds?!" Autumn followed him, "You barely even know the woman! Why change course again and shove a piece of-"

"GET DOWN!" Sokoto threw his shield at Autumn, who quickly ducked and barely avoided contact. She was about to say something when she heard an explosion and turned behind her. And that's where she saw the shield's true target. A black van. And two women dressed in black escaped.

"UN IS spec ops," Sokoto said, "Determined and cunning. Two on the ground, four pilots inbound!"

"Wait, how can you-" Autumn stopped short of hearing something above her. She rapidly deployed the Shinomure...and blocked a barrage of ice crystals. "Freeze Lancer?! No, that can't be-" A woman with blue princess-like hair landed in front of her and made her question all of reality. "FORTE?! What are you doing with THEM?!"

"Same thing you're doing," Forte said as three more pilots landed, surrounding Autumn, "Revenge."

"This is a bad dream..." Autumn muttered, "I have to be dreaming..."

"WAS SQUALL GETTING SHANKED A BAD DREAM?!" Forte went livid and repeatedly struck at Autumn, "Because of your idiocy, Daryl's lost her mind! She disappeared the same time you sloughed your way to Alaska!" On the tenth strike, she broke Autumn's guard and pelted her with another Freeze Lancer. "I've been waiting for this moment," Forte readied her Glader halberd, "All units! Bring her down at all costs!"

"Well, now I know what the fuck she's doing here," Sokoto said, just before he shielded himself from a pair of hammer heels. But it felt weird. He knew they were there because he saw one of them pull out a gun in that van the moment he left the diner. They stood in front of him. But no aura whatsoever. Were they in the same vein as that Chloe woman? Guess so, because they materialized guns out of thin air!

"DOOGAH!" Sokoto yelled as he threw his shield at one of the "women" and charged their points while barely missing the bullets, "FUCK! MY! SHIT!" He managed to kick one of them, then recall his shield in time to block a fiery assault from the other. She got close enough to where she pushed his shield aside and engaged in hand to hand combat, shooting every time she threw a punch.

"Are you supposed to be a discount Captain America?" The woman asked.

"Nope!" Sokoto got in close and shield punched her face, then bounced it to the ground, up her chin, and then jumped and caught it and flipped over to slam it on her head, and finished with a hammer heel. "I just really like bouncy things," he threw it behind him, discerning the other woman's location via the gun click sounds, but he missed her horribly. She banged it down and shot his rib and shoulders. He recoiled and fell.

"Renegade is down," the woman who shot him said, "Orders?"

"We need them both alive," Forte said over the comms channel, "Make sure he's unconscious, no more."

"Understood," she said. She blinked her eyes a couple times and switched her lead bullets out with rubber. She shot Sokoto's forehead and conked him out.

"What?!" Autumn said what happened, "How?!"

"I'm over here, bitch!" Forte slammed her halberd downward, but missed because of Autumn's wind blades.

Autumn tried to grab Sokoto, but another pilot cut her off and let loose a Gatling gun. Autumn flew over and bolted past her, but the woman Sokoto kicked earlier recovered fast and generated a rocket launcher and fired at point blank range.

Autumn flew back to the other side of the street and crashed into a convenience store. She slowly walked back out. That brouhaha shot out half her shield energy. She saw the pilots rapidly closing in. Her mind processed every possible strategy to use for distraction and escape. She knew the pilots were after her, and the two women have the renegade. She could use herself as a distraction to lure them into hazards unknown. That was the most feasible option, given the Shinomure's mediocre CQC capabilities. She retracted her IS and ran outside.

"You two, get him out of here!" Forte communicated to the two women, then turned to face the moth. "Come now, Autumn!" She charged her Freeze Lancer, "You can't get far on your own FACE!" and let it rip.

Autumn ran faster into the Lancer attack and redeployed the Shinomure. She blew back the crystal barrage at the diner, temporarily preventing Sokoto's kidnapping. She then focused her IS on evasion tactics, literally dodging everything and never attacking. She bobbed and weaved in and out of the pilots' range of attack. She took care not to go near Forte, but to back out immediately when they were too close.

She even went so far as to taunt them, hoping to draw out their anger, "Don't they ever train you to hold those things the right way?! Man, how the UN's become lazy!"

She got in Forte's face without realizing it and quickly capitalized on the opportunity, "You mind a little blow dry?!" She punched and wind bladed Forte, not only taking out the ice packs on her wings, but causing severe damage to her hair.

And that's what set Forte off, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

"How much do I have left?" Autumn quickly checked her stats. She barely took any damage thanks to her evasion-only tactics. However, she can withstand just one more giant blow before going critical. She decided to take her chances on a nearby gas station.

Forte resorted to her Glade since she can't use Freeze Lancer anymore. She swung wildly at Autumn, barely missing every swing. They took the fight to the streets, blazing just above ground level. Autumn saw the other pilots coming to her in a desperate attempt to rein her in.

"Perfect," Autumn muttered as she lost some steam dodging the bullets. She didn't pay attention to Forte as she swung the halberd at her. She managed to catch it, but the force propelled her down, made her skid against the ground, and stopped just short of a nozzle. She was quickly stomped on by Forte, who aimed her halberd straight at her foe. The other pilots surrounded the station, guns pointed at Autumn.

"Die, murderer!" Forte thrust her weapon down, while the other pilots moved in. But Autumn launched a wing gust that blew her off her body, and quickly flipped her around. She kicked the halberd into a fuel dispenser, and the weapon flew into another dispenser. A giant explosion rocked the city. Fumes and chemicals collided with each other as much as they did the other pilots. Autumn used Forte as a shield to safely escape the debris. The maneuver nearly cost her what little energy she had left, but it was enough to see the van taking Sokoto away. She quickly gave chase.

Forte barely managed to survive the eightfold explosion. She dragged her feet out from the destruction and looked around her. The other pilots were dead. She was the last. She found her halberd stuck inside a car and yanked it out. This was the second time she had been made a fool of. She readied her weapons and flew off to hunt Autumn down.

Autumn tracked the van to a highway and followed it closely, unusually worried about the renegade's safety. One of the women saw her from the rear view mirror, put her hands on the roof, and called forth a grenade launcher. It shot out a stream of grenades which Autumn easily sidestepped. Out of a moment's glance, she saw the massive collateral damage it caused. And a blue dot that could cause quadruple whatever damage this battle causes.

'Ok, definitely bad,' Autumn thought, 'Guess I'll have to lure her in like last time. Both of us have to be in a critical state by now.' She moved in closer to the van as the woman kept shooting out grenades. She kept dodging and checking behind her.

Meanwhile, Sokoto was slowly regaining consciousness. He could feel vibrations all around him. One in particular knocked him to the passenger seat.

"He's awake now," the woman said, "Can you drive and shoot?"

"Yes," the other woman said. She took command and unleashed the rocket launcher. She fired on Autumn with both weapons.

"Uhhh, what happened?" Sokoto asked before the woman he kicked threw him down on the floor. He struggled against her, but she pinned him down with all fours. He clenched his fists hard.

"You shouldn't have woken up, renegade," she said.

Autumn somehow felt a nasty tingle in her head. She continued to close in on the van, but was stopped by at stab that knocked her against the van, causing them both to crash. The van flipped over off the highway and off the grass towards Patience Lake. Sokoto busted the door open and jumped out, dragging the two women with him close to safety. The van splashed down, narrowly missing the women as they swam to shore. Sokoto rolled on the grass.

Autumn didn't see any of that. All she saw was the van hitting the water. "NOOOOO!"

Forte landed behind her. "Aww, too bad. I preferred he lived."

Autumn heard that, "You...you WHAT?!"

"And what..." Forte taunted, "...is this newfound love for the renegade I see?" She walked a full circle with her while looking dead in her eyes, "What has happened to make you so soft?" She looked at the renegade, who struggled to escape the women. She then looked at Autumn, who didn't know he survived, "Oh my! This is treason of the highest order, NTR even!" She saw Autumn scowl, and slammed that final nail, "Maybe, after we're finished today, you can explain to Squall why you betrayed her!"

Autumn shrieked and flew straight into Forte, who swatted her away like a literal moth. The battle barely lasted a minute before Forte sliced up Shinomure and kicked Autumn against the concrete guardrail. She held her at the halberd's tip. Autumn just looked up with lifeless eyes. She didn't know how she would explain this to Squall. She just sat there coughing up blood as Forte prepared to deliver the final blow.

But somehow, the coincidence train ran her over again. Sokoto managed to trick the women into firing off a rocket at Forte, draining her off all her remaining shield energy. Sokoto also had his fist clenched the whole time, meaning that his shield found its way to him, but not before slamming the flat face into Forte's head and rendering her unconscious. And then, the father of all holy fucking shit circumstances. Literally. Squall's father shot the women with a semi-auto rifle from his car when they were disturbed by their mistake.

"You alright, kid?!" the father screamed.

"Yeah..." Sokoto grunted, "But not safe yet..." he waved him toward the fallen pilots, "Get Forte inside and get us outta here!"

Autumn mustered enough strength to peek over the rail. She couldn't believe what she saw. The renegade faked her out. Or it seemed like he faked her out. She could no longer control the inner conflicts she spent the entire trip trying to suppress. The last thing she saw was a much younger version of Squall jumping over the rail and cuddling her head.

Then, all black.


	4. Overspeeding

_Part 4: Overspeeding_

 **-UNKNOWN-**

Within her undisturbed state of mind, Cecilia transported herself to her ideal world. A world of just Ichika and her, and her personal standing by waiting to serve their masters. The pair were sipping tea from a balcony overlooking the English countryside, staring longingly into each other's eyes.

"What?" She asked playfully.

"I was just trying to guess which shade of blue your eyes are..." he winked.

"Oh, darling!" She giggled in response, "You tease too much!"

"So, what's on today's agenda?"

"Well, we have to meet with the President of China in an hour, and then we join her and the Ambassador of Japan for lunch."

"Oh, lord. Won't they be jealous."

"Indeed," she clapped to call her maids to attention, "Do get him ready for me, will you?"

"Uh, hey, no! I can dress myself!" Ichika struggled to break free from the maids' grabs,

"Cecilia! Heeeeeeeeeeeelp!"

She just giggled as he was forced into his Knight's Formal attire.

Thirty minutes later, they were escorted via Cadillac limousine to their destination. Outside the windows, thousands of wild fans gathered for a chance to even touch the limo, and see the royal couple stroll their way through.

"Our adoring public," Ichika said, "It can't get any better than this."

"Oh, it can," Cecilia pointed out the twin tailed fox lady waiting for them at the Olde Courte, looking mighty frustrated. When the three came face to face inside the cabin, it was cringe levels of passive aggressiveness, all coming from Huang.

"Greetings, President Lingyin," Cecilia and Ichika said.

"It's so good to see you two again," Lingyin shook their hands, "though I would have preferred alternate circumstances for our meeting."

"Apologies," Cecilia said, "We were in such a rush to get married, we didn't notice the schedule."

"Ma...ma-ma-ma...married?" Lingyin stuttered.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Ichika said, "We got married last month. It was the best thing ever to happen to our lives!"

"No, the night after was the best thing!" Cecilia corrected him.

Lingyin snapped. She deployed the Shenlong's arms and blades and swung at the couple. Ichika stepped forward and blocked every single one of those strikes, eventually swatting away her scimitar and holding her at swordpoint.

"I have great respect for you as a friend, and a comrade, Rin," Ichika stated, "but I will not hold back against anyone who dares lay a hand on my wife, not even you."

"Uhh...Ichika you meanie!" Lingyin withdrew the Shenlong and stomped her foot.

Cecilia just hugged him extra tightly.

"Hey, not now! We gotta meet up with Houki!" He pushed her off.

"Oh...right...sorry..." Cecilia couldn't help herself, but regained her composure.

"I thought we had matters to discuss," Lingyin growled.

"We can on the way," Cecilia said, "Shall we, my dear?"

Ichika took her by the arm and escorted her to a stagecoach, fulfilling her lifelong fantasy. Lingyin reluctantly followed along. And it didn't take long to see through her schemes.

"What did I just get through telling you, Rin?" Ichika sighed.

"It plays in both parties' interests," Lingyin explained, "This way, we can maintain a stable alliance without risk of retaliation."

"By permanently separating us?" Cecilia questioned.

"That's YOUR opinion..." Lingyin turned her gaze to the window, "Besides, who knows what will happen when you're hogging the only male pilot to yourself?..."

"Uh, don't I get a say in this?" Ichika asked.

"You did, and you said stupid!" Lingyin didn't bother with subtlety, "No matter what happens, you'll always be an asset at large! So, are we gonna sign or what?"

"I'm gonna go with..." Ichika ripped the draft of the treaty in half, "...or what."

Lingyin was shocked, "Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

"I'm speaking for myself for once," Ichika stated, "Renegotiate, or we go to war. Over one single person."

"Ooop-Tsssssss!" Cecilia trounced.

Lingyin just took her scraps of paper and crumpled them in her pocket, "Fine. I'll bring my team here next month for negotiations."

"Good," Ichika leaned back at took Cecilia in his arm. He looked out the window and saw Houki at a table, "Oh, we're here already!" They looked out at the tavern, a steady 14th century style outdoors restaurant, perfect for any couple looking for an escape from the city rush. Ichika took Cecilia's hand and walked her to the reserved table, with Lingyin in close tow, still looking for a chance to beat them to a pulp.

"Hey, Cecilia!" Houki hugged her, "It's been a while!"

"Yes, too long!" Cecilia said, "We have to catch up right now!" They walked to their table, "I trust you and Ichika have been in contact?"

Houki winced.

Ichika walked up to her, "Hey, Houki! It's been too long!"

She just shook his hand, "No...not long enough..."

They all went to the table. Houki and Lingyin sat uncomfortably while Ichika and Cecilia snuggled themselves into their seats. The lunch went on as planned, and Houki couldn't resist asking, "Why'd he choose you?"

"Well, why wouldn't he?" Cecilia cupped his hand, "I am of royalty, after all."

"Plus, she's very straightforward with her feelings," Ichika said the beloved, "and with the right amount of charm to boot."

"Oh, honey!" She played.

Houki and Lingyin cracked. They toyed with his feelings, which turned him off. Cecilia just straight up said it, striking at his weakness. They had to watch while Ichika try to feed Cecilia a spoon of porridge, miss and spill some on her lips, and try to clean it up with his own lips. They sat there, just peering into the moment, wondering what demon possessed him to settle with her.

But just as he was cleaning up, Cecilia notice something odd about his kiss. He was using his tongue rather forcefully. He never does that in public. Not only that, but she was starting to wet herself too.

 **-LAC MISTASSINI, QUÉBEC PROVINCE-**

Cecilia slowly came to. She felt something...someone...devouring her lips. She also felt her chest being ravaged by some unsightly hands. She opened her eyes. From a split-second glance, she quickly recognized the person as one of the two men who tried to kidnap her back in Montreal. She but his tongue and head butted him off her.

He grabbed his mouth and backed off. She tried to punch him, but her arms and feet have been chained tightly to a concrete wall. She tried calling out her Mermaid's Tears. No response. She moved her shoulders up to her earrings and felt another trinket hanging off of them, and realized that those trinkets were Cancellers. She was completely helpless. The man she forced off her returned to elbow her neck and punch her stomach, the blocked her mouth from wheezing for any air. She would have suffocated had it not been for another man yanking her tormentor away from her.

He punched him and screamed, "What did I just get through telling you?!" after he kicked him.

"I didn't do anything!" He struggled back up, "I deserve a little something for my services!" He got punched again. He shrugged it off after puking a bit of phlegm and wiping his mouth.

"But no one was supposed to know," the other man growled, "How the hell did those people know?"

"Uhhhhh..." Cecilia groaned, "Where...am I?..."

The man who strangled her came back, "Zip it, Свиная шлюха!"

And he was pulled away and punched again.

"And didn't the boss say, no damaged or used goods?" The other man said.

"I don't need your garbage-" he was interrupted by a cellphone call, "What do you want?!"

"That's what I'm asking you," the boss's voice came through and shook him to the core, "You better not have done what I think you have done."

"Uh-no, of course not!" He stammered.

"Fine," the boss said, "but know this. You screwed up once before. Don't screw up again."

"Да сэр..." he said hesitantly and hung up.

The other man stood him on his feet and dusted him off, "Well, you heard him." He turned him round and pushed him out the room, "Get moving."

"Wait just a minute!" Cecilia stopped them, "Who are you?! What am I doing here?!"

The man slowly walked to her and touched her chin. She drew back, exposing her ear to him. He said, "Quite simply, you will be sold."

"Huh?!" That got her full attention.

"You see," he explained, "We have a certain...hatred...for Canadian pilots. Or any pilot who sets foot in Canada, so we expel them from the world. What that idiot just did to you? That's how."

"You can't!" Cecilia shook, "You can't do this to the people of Canada!"

"And why not? They betrayed us. We want vengeance, plain and simple. And we will get it."

"Rrgh! You'll never get away with this! Someone will come to stop you!"

"Who? The renegade? Please, he will be delighted to join us, whether he wants to or not."

"He's too stupid to think about joining you, I'll tell you that much," Cecilia countered, "He'll never grow the brains. And I will never be your toy."

He took out a pink ribbon and hung it in front of her face, "That French pilot said the same thing. We broke her in half an hour." He let it drop on her chest and smiled when she showed that her heart sank to rock bottom, "We'll be back when we've dealt with the renegade. Make yourself comfortable in the meantime." And he walked away and left her alone in the room.

Alone with a blooded body. Cecilia was still horrified. She couldn't believe it. Charlotte? They got Charlotte Dunois?! Was this why she disappeared from the world view a year after graduation? She thought Charlotte was living with her mother in the countryside! And what do they mean by "broke her"? He told her that she would be sold! Does that mean...

"No...no, I-I-I can't be reduced to this!" Cecilia started to freak out, "Someone! Anyone! Help me!" As soon as the words left her mouth, the limp body began moving by itself. It croaked like the grudge lady and twitched its head to meet her eyes. It stared into her soul and strangled it. Cecilia lost it, "HELP! DEMON! HAUNTED DUNGEON! DIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

"WILL YOU PIPE DOWN?!" It talked, "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

"Gah! Madoka?!" Cecilia recognized her voice.

"Well hello, pig slut..." Madoka reverted to her default voice.

"Where do you get off saying that?!"

"That's what he called you..."

"Ugh! *BONK* OWWIE!" Cecilia pouted so much she momentarily forgot she was chained to a wall, "Ugh...to think I'd be captured with YOU of all people..."

"Lemme guess," Madoka smirked, "You know."

"Ichika knows too!" Cecilia shouted, "He has the entire nation after you!"

"So?" Madoka whipped her hair over...and showed Cecilia the works, "It won't matter. I already got what I wanted."

Cecilia was close to throwing up, "Ugg...what...did they do..."

"They left my mouth intact for some reason...everywhere else is fair game," Madoka snuggled herself against the wall and relaxed her body, "Now shut up so I can sleep..."

"Sleep?!" Cecilia griped, "And what will that accomplish, may I ask?"

"What did I say?"

"Eep!" Cecilia saw Chifuyu's death stare and shut her mouth. She relaxed and sighed relief when she heard Madoka snoring. But that didn't change anything else. They were both in a situation where only the miracle of miracles could save them now. But that's an impossibility, seeing the tattered pink ribbon that reminded her that no one is immune to the conflict of the Infinite Stratos. She blew the ribbon off, but it fluttered back to her chest, still bearing the Mega Milk logo.

And that triggered a massive migraine, in the form of the intended target. The renegade was still out there. He was the closest person available. Everyone else was countries away. She doesn't have a clue where Tatenashi was. And she'll suicide if she ever tries to rely on Chelsea or Rachel.

But more than that. If no one can rescue her, not only will she let Canada down in the worst way possible, but her reputation will be annihilated. And she will be lost to the taboo of history. She'll never get her chance to make things right. She's not spoken to Ichika, Houki, or Chifuyu, or anyone since Mt Fuji. Memories of being cuddled with a pillow, the warm sunny day, the dank and depressing rainy clouds... and she already lost her fortune.

Cecilia welt her tears and unconsciously whispered, "Help...me...renegade..."

 **-DUCK MOUNTAIN PROVINCIAL PARK, MANITOBA PROVINCE-**

Sokoto sat beside the fire under the Auroral Borealis hugging his knees. He was staring at Autumn and Forte, both sleeping. His bracelet was glowing with the night lights, but he didn't rant. He just wondered why she came to them like that. Especially when they all too easily welcomed him. Did he slip somewhere, or was he just that reckless? That would've been it, were it not for the fact that his recklessness was the only reason he survived for this long. Except that only applied to him. The others had to work extra hard just to keep up with him. If they take his eyes off him for longer than a second, or become exhausted and rest for longer than a moment, they will lose him. But he didn't know that. He has only been doing whatever he wanted, something that's simply not possible with a group.

Squall's father came to the camp with two full canteens, "This'll replenish you. Drink both of them."

Sokoto grabbed them both and chugged them hard. He shivered midway and his teeth chattered by the end, "OHHHHHHHH, that's cold!"

"That's fresh water, boy!" The father said, "You gotta take it slow for once!"

"When have you known me to take it slow?" Sokoto said through clave teeth.

"Well," the father pointed to Forte and Autumn, "since the transition from autumn to winter."

"Oh..." Sokoto instantly calmed down. And his bracelet seemed to respond favorably to the father's comments, "Oh, what do you know? You've been on hibernation for how long now!"

"Boy, you gotta get your mind straight," the father cringed, "You been talking to that thing nonstop..."

"Well, this thing has an attitude all its own!"

"Can you say the same for those two?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you dragging their sorry asses all over the place? Ain't you got somewhere to go?"

"Umm..." Sokoto scratched his cheek.

"If not, then I...sorta...understand you fucking the world up," the father continued, "but if so, you can just fly over there, right? Those IS things can literally fly you over there in one trip, right?"

"I dunno..."

"Well, that don't really fly around here. I always tell Squall, if you don't know, then don't go. You gotta know what the hell you're gonna get yourself into before you try to do it. And judging by the look on your face, I'd say that you don't know what you're gonna dive into."

Sokoto had been found. Sort of, "I do know! I fought off those UN geeks, didn't I?"

"You were doing a horrible job until I came along. I even have the common sense to go back for your shit back there."

"Yeah...yeah, you got a point..."

"Kid, I ain't gonna stop you from doing whatever you want. Hell, for old time's sake, I'm gonna follow you until you get outta Canada!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah, why not? You make being homeless look fun!" The father put up more wood and toned down his attitude, "But...if what you're doing involves protecting them, or them protecting you, you're gonna have to smarten up big time. I ain't gonna let you be a walking contradiction."

"Well..." Sokoto was about to say something when Autumn woke up.

"Well, big man," the father motioned Sokoto to Autumn, "Time to smarten up."

Sokoto quickly grabbed a canteen and refilled it. He went back to Autumn just as she fully recovered, "Hey, you ok?"

"Nnn...Squall?..." Autumn was still dazed.

"Not exactly..." He gave her the canteen to drink and shock her system into overdrive, "WOOOOHOHOHOHO! Ok! Ok! I'm back! I'm back!"

"Whew! Good to have you back!" As soon as Sokoto patted her, she became a little melancholy.

"Is it though?..." she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Wait," she stared at the father, "what's he doing here?"

"I ran into y'all while coming back from my hunting trip," the father said, "the rest he can explain."

"I'd rather he didn't...I still got the hangover..."

"For Squall?" Sokoto asked.

"Yeah...pretty much..." she put her chin on her knees, "I don't know why she chose you of all people..."

"Chose? I didn't hear any of-" he stopped once he sensed that she wasn't in the mood. She stared at Forte, who was now asleep.

"Why didn't you kill her?" She asked.

"We need her to tell us where Madoka is," he said.

"And why's she of such importance? I can take you to England by myself, can't I?"

"Well..."

"Why don't we just forget about everyone else and just focus on what Squall said?"

He thought about how to come up with a good response, when he suddenly realized something, "What happens after?"

He was right. There's nothing waiting for her after the journey is over, which made it all the more pointless.

"Or...we could live the rest of our lives in seclusion...free from the world's peering eyes...Build us a nice little cabin by the lake..."

"And how's that going to lead anywhere? It won't stop them from looking for us."

"Just thinking..." Autumn went to the fire and sat by the father. They didn't say very much, but it seemed like they were hitting off the right way. He checked on Forte. Her aura was still very weak. He left her alone and went to the lake.

The waters were dancing along with the Borealis, its ripples waving with the movements of the lights. He thought this would be a good opportunity to talk to Silvia again. He showed his bracelet to the sky and ranted,

"Hey, Sil. Me again. So, all manners of crazy shit happened today. This crazy woman, Forte, I don't get it. Yesterday she was so friendly, and today she was all, YOU LET SQUALL DIE SO YOU SHOULD DIE AS WELL, going all psycho on us. Which probably means that she took Madoka. And Cootie Woman. Yeah, Cootie Woman got captured! How? Knockout gas. *SNICKER* Oh, we got so many people to save, so many things to get done that we're not even close to being prepared for. It's like, why even bother? I know I am more than capable of conquering all. Well, without a group, I am. I said before that we gotta find a new brand for Phantom Task...but I don't know. It all seems vague and overwhelming. I still feel like I only scratched the surface of whatever lies beneath. And Autumn has doubts too. How do I even start to comfort her? I don't know. It's all new to me. What do you think I should do? Jumping ship isn't an option. Growing up or smartening up? I have never heard anyone say that-"

"Hey, c'mere a sec!" Squall's father called out. Sokoto ran to him, ranting mode still active.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Autumn tells me you got the heebie-jeebie powers," the father said, "Mind telling me how you got them?"

"Uh...well one night when me and Squall were separated, this blue haired girl...Kanzashi, we fooled around that night. Next morning, I could sense all manners of emotions. Angry, super angry, kinda angry, even the sad and lovey-dovey kinds of angry."

"You made out with..." Autumn vented out her breath.

"Did he know any better?" The father asked.

"I don't know," Autumn said, "He said he was raised by the yakuza..."

"And that's how he became a superhuman whack job, huh? You expected something else?"

"Yeah...man, I wish Squall was still around..."

"She gave you two her blessings, didn't she?"

"Not the right kind..."

Sokoto was just standing there listening to the father reorganizing Autumn's emotional mess, when he sensed a sudden spike in Forte. She was waking up rather fast. He generated a shield from his other bracelet and threw it at Forte. It hit her Absolute Barrier instead. Autumn and Squall's father jolted. Forte instantly woke up and deployed her Celsius Tears. She sent out a signal, calling all units to converge in her coordinates, then readied Freeze Lancer. Autumn deployed her Shinomure and the father aimed and clicked at Forte.

"Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it!" Sokoto waved his arms, stopping everyone from attacking. He turned to the Celsius Tears, "What's going on, Forte? Why are you trying to kill us?"

Forte pointed her Glade at Autumn, "Her."

"Don't you go there," Autumn growled.

"Why not?" Forte taunted, "Since you deliberately let Ponyboy stab her in the heart."

"Were you there during the Third Mondo Grosso?!" Autumn protested, "She shoved me into that giant lance thing! She left me and Madoka to die while she went frolicking with the daisies!"

"Well, maybe you should have died!" Forte shouted, "Because if that happened, Daryl wouldn't be the only one left anymore!"

"Only what?" Sokoto piped.

"I'll explain to you later," Forte said, "All you need to know for now is that Daryl is Squall's cousin, and the only Meusel left."

"Cous..." Sokoto shot a confused look at the father, who returned the same look. He didn't know there was another family. He only knew his. Now, he learned there's a daughter with basically nothing left. What were they supposed to do?

"I have nothing to do with that punk wannabe slut," Autumn said.

"But I do," Forte has had enough. She launched Freeze Lancer right at Autumn, who blew it away with her wing gusts. Squall's father fired on Forte while Sokoto recalled his shield and threw it again. Forte caught it and swung it hard at the father, but Autumn kicked it out of the way. She then came at Forte with all her might, but was batted to her left, crashing into the father's truck. Sokoto and the father attacked Forte, but they stopped once she fired her Freeze Lancer. Sokoto quickly defended the father, while Autumn tackled her and pelted a thousand wind blades in her. Sokoto staggered himself upright and looked over at the highway, where he saw flashing lights getting brighter and bigger.

"The UN are coming!" Sokoto shouted.

"What?!" the father was stunned. How did so many arrive so fast, "We gotta hide!"

"What about Autumn?!" Sokoto was suddenly grabbed by Autumn and thrown to the lake.

"I'll give you time," Autumn said exhausted, "You get him away from here."

"Right," the father grabbed his backpack and ran under the cover of Autumn's continuous wind blades.

"I'll sort everything out while I'm captured.." Autumn whispered as she got in Forte's way at the last minute and took the full brunt of her Freeze Lancer attack. It took more than half her energy to withstand, but its freezing after effects pierced her skin. She shivered and keeled over, her IS forced into standby mode.

"So, that's your choice, huh?" Forte walked over her, staring her down like a mountain lion over a wounded deer.

Through the shivering frostbite, Autumn looked up once more with strained eyes, then fainted again.

The other units arrived after Forte wrapped her captive in a blanket. "I need one car to take her back to Québec," she ordered, "The rest of you search the area for the renegade!"

The UN forces quickly moved in, scouring the area for any sign of life. The searched the trees, the lake, and the bushes. But no sign of the renegade. Finally, after an hour of intense looking, they gave up.

"Sorry, ma'am," an officer said, "We couldn't find him here."

"Fast little bugger, isn't he?" Forte said, "Well, it is of little consequence. He will come back for her. For now, everyone back to Québec."

And everyone drove off. Forte followed them, satisfied that she can now begin the first step in her revenge plan. She was going to make Autumn pay, by ripping the renegade away from her.

Meanwhile, Sokoto and Squall's father were safe inside the Lake's caverns.

"Good thing they got lead all over these caves," the father said, "Otherwise, we'd be toast." He found Sokoto in the lake and decided to hang out with him and swim to the cavern. Their body temperatures were lowered just enough to stay out of sight. He laid the sleeping renegade on his back and showed his head to the sky, hoping the lights would somehow keep him from freezing completely. For extra assurance, he burnt a pile of broken bushes and branches and laid Sokoto besides the fire.

The father sighed as he lay against the cave's walls and looked out to the sky. Right from the get go, this trip has been nothing but life altering event after life altering event, punching all three members of Phantom Task in the face with no warning. He knew that anyone else would have given up and sought out counseling. But these three are on their own, and they only trust each other when it comes to battle. Everything else is just along for the ride. No one completely trusts each other. At all. He got all that from talking with Autumn and Sokoto. Imagine what it'll be like asking Madoka.

"Fuck...loose ends, my ass..." he rubbed his brow, then turned to the sky once more, "Looks like I gotta fix all our trains..."

Sokoto's bracelet and collar glowed in agreement.


	5. Yes Again WHY!

_Part 5: Yes Again. Why?_

 **-LAC MASTISSINI, QUÉBEC PROVINCE; 00:53, 42 HOURS 7 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-**

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" Madoka felt a chunk of her ribs being pierced by a needle, followed by a sharper pain slowly crawling all the way up to her armpit, "YAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!"

"Come on," her tormentor said, "Let me hear you scream more." He was partially joking. When the needle made its way to her armpit, he smashed it in. He let her scream for one second before punching her gut and choking her. He then ripped out the needle before shoving his forearm in her mouth, forcing the pain to stay contained within her body. The instant she bit down on his arm, he punched her cheek. She was forced off his arm, and he reached for a knife and pierced both her thighs. She let out a howling scream that seemed to reach outside. He slowly pulled the knife out, letting her feel every single stroke tear her veins apart one by one. He stopped to let Madoka catch her breath.

"You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would," he commented.

Madoka coughed up some blood before panting, "I was betrayed...nothing hurts...more than...to be betrayed...I wanna forget...forget...everything..."

"Are you sure?" He said, "'Cuz one of our guys picked up something you'll definitely want to see." He pulled out a cellphone and projected a video on the wall. It was Sokoto and Kanzashi. Having the moment.

This was the second time in her life Madoka felt betrayed. She knew the renegade was dumb, but was he blunt? Did he learn anything from their encounters?

The tormentor threw in a little white lie to make her crack completely, "This wasn't too long ago. While you were gone, your woman Autumn left him alone. And then this happened the morning after."

Madoka didn't bother arguing. She rationed within herself that this was inevitable. She was a fool to have put her faith in him. He was never going to learn! Why did she even screw him?! Who did he think he is?! This isn't forgetfulness! It's ignorance to the extreme degree! What kind of asshole is this guy?!

She just stared at the video, trying not to lose it, while at the same time leaking her rage out, "What are you doing...why are you with her...what about me...what am I to you...I thought you cared..."

"Oooh," the tormentor said, "It burns, doesn't it? It burns you to have come so close," he taunted her while she was trapped in her vengeful thoughts, "to have a companion who saw you...as you. To have a brother...a friend...a connection...and for what? A little candle in this dark, dank, rank cave of yours." He held a lighter in her sight and lit it, temporarily calming her down, reminding her of the moments she shared with the renegade back in Japan. Then all of a sudden, he closed it, and pointed back to the screen, where Sokoto and Kanzashi looked at each other intimately, "and then to be reminded of what the real world is." Madoka got one very good look at the video, now at the point where Sokoto and Kanzashi went home run. They looked like an item, more than anyone else ever did. They hit two more home runs before laying in the bed, hugging each other. She took him in her arms, and he cuddled her and smiled. Then, they went again.

Madoka exploded, "FUCK YOU! WHAT THE FUCK?! I NEVER SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO LOVE YOU! YOU'RE JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM!" She wrangled with her chains trying to break free, "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL PUT YOU DOWN, JUST LIKE I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL FUCKING RIP YOUR HEART OUTTA YOUR ASS AND STUFF IT BACK DOWN YOUR THROAT-" She got stabbed in both her shoulders. It only made her scream even more.

"My, my," the tormentor said sadistically, "Touchy-touchy, aren't we?" He barely grazed her neck when she nearly bit his finger. Instead of reacting harshly, he punched her, scratched his knife on her forehead, and said, "Yes! Give me more! Let me hear your agony!" He yanked her hair, "And don't lie to me. It's agony you're feeling, right?" He slammed her head against the wall, "Big mistake letting yourself get captured, huh?" He used a metal sponge to dig into her other side and scrape off some skin. He made it hurt like fuck, something unknown to her till now. Never had she struggled through pain like this. The fact the she might never get someone who views her as her own person dawned on her. Her aura became muddled with haphazard colors as she wriggled even more. The tormentor didn't care. He just kept stabbing, slicing, and taunting to his heart's delight.

Cecilia was kept in another room, wide awake by Madoka's bloodcurdling screams of anguish. The real torture hadn't even started for her, and already she's lost all sense of hope. She just stared blankly at the ground, eyes completely dulled, begging for someone to end it already. Her hopes seemed to be answered when the same man who throttled her walked in. With three more guys...

"Nice to see you up so bright and early!" The man said.

"Uhhh..." Cecilia slowly tilted her head up, "Wh-what do you want..."

"The boss already found some customers who want to buy you for quite a lot of money. He said to prepare you in a week," the man replied, "So, as you can see, we're in a bit of a rush."

"Rush?" Cecilia repeated, until she realized what that meant, "Wait! No! Anything but that! Please! I'll do anything else!"

He closed the door and got an aphrodisiac injection ready, "Absolutely not."

Two men grabbed her arms. One man grabbed her legs. They unchained her and hoisted her to the needle.

"No!" She squirmed, "NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"

The injection was successfully administered.

 **-CROSSING LAKE OF THE WOODS, ONTARIO PROVINCE; 06:45, 36 HOURS 15 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-**

The escort van carrying Autumn was speeding its way down the highway, with Forte looking down on Autumn's body. The next bump on the drive ws so hard, it rocked the van a little bit, causing Autumn to fly into the side, and hammer back down, "OW! Ugh...what happ-" she found her hands bound behind her back, her legs tied up with Canceller cuffs.

"Hello, peasant," Forte grinned in a higher seat.

"You..." Autumn growled, "What are you doing now?"

Forte deployed her Glade and held it to Autumn's neck, "You first."

"Ugh...fine..." Autumn conceded, "I came to take the renegade to England. Because...Squall...said..."

"And you honor everything she does, even though she betrayed you..."

"She made it right with me..." Autumn contemplated, "...mere moments before she died..."

"Oh no," Forte retracted her weapon, "We're already at odds with each other."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm really here for him, too," Forte crossed her legs and leaned back, "His detainment in my hands will appease Daryl's disgusting lust."

"What?" Autumn sat upright, "I thought you said she disappeared."

"She did...for a couple weeks," Forte recounted, "She was so devastated, she sought to fill that black hole of a void in her heart by any means necessary. She did everything imaginable and unimaginable."

"How...do you know all this..."

"Because she found me one day while I was trying to find her. I wanted to get back together with her, to the love we both shared. But I also knew that our love was romantic, not sibling. That's why she kept obsessing over the renegade, how Squall made an ethereal connection with him, implanted a part of herself into him in spiritual terms."

"So, you're gonna use him as a bargaining chip to fix your petty relationship?"

"Close. Daryl will get him. And I will get Daryl. And have some fun with the renegade, too. It'll be a nice little love triangle to soothe both our minds."

Autumn's heart went down the toilet. Love triangle?! That basically meant one of two things: either Forte would hand Sokoto over to Daryl for permanent love making, allow her jealousy to rise to ungodly levels, turn Daryl against him, and then kill him to secure her true love...or she's found a way to reduce him to a human doll, existing only for their pleasure and wrath.

Even Autumn, who put Squall through BDSM, thought there was something wrong with this plan.

"You really expect someone like him to fall for something so childish?" She asked sarcastically.

"No," Forte placed her heel at Autumn's forehead, "So I figured you could help me out a little bit."

Autumn froze. This wasn't going to end well for her. She played right into Forte's heart trap. Why doesn't she just make a break for it now and not have to put up with this? Because she heard her weakness blatantly stated out loud. She only saw the renegade for Squall, not for the renegade. She was having trouble deciding whether to let him live freely, or have him die in the hands of the icy heat.

 **-ONTARIO PROVINCE; 09:37, 33 HOURS 23 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-**

An announcement by the Prime Minister was broadcast throughout the country,

"While I share great sympathy and immense grieving for our lost comrade, we cannot afford to dwell in the past, not when she has given us so much hope and determination in the few short days she has stayed in our country. I have assembled a special forces team to find her and bring her back safely. Meanwhile, the Top Gun event will continue as planned, and is scheduled for tomorrow evening, 7 o'clock Eastern Time, at Mount Royal Park in Montreal. I pray that when Cecilia comes back to us, the joy of seeing the event she created overcomes the sorrow she endured. May God guide her out of the shadows and into the light."

 **-BORDER DINER-**

Sokoto was twiddling his thumbs and wracking up a nervous shot listening to that speech. He thought about Madoka's and Autumn's safety ever since he woke up an hour ago to Squall's father giving him a severe talking to for not caring more. He was remembering what he told Squall before she died, and what Autumn said the night before he made his big ploy, stick together as a family. One promise broken in 17 hours. A new record.

Squall's father came back with a tracker and two meals, "Eat up. We're 30 minutes from the provincial border, so the instant we leave, we don't stop until we save your friends."

"Right," Sokoto muttered and reached for his burger-

"Kid," the father snatched his hand, "You're gonna have to be straight forward with me. You wanna save them or not?"

"Yes, I do," Sokoto said, "It's just that..."

"What'll they think of you after?" The father finished it for him, "Well, that ain't my problem." He very discretely pointed his pinky and thumb to Sokoto's left and right, "I'll get us some salt and ketchup. Get yourself straightened out by then." And he got up and left.

Sokoto saw his fingers and took note of two unusually intense auras behind him coming closer. They moved in front of him. They were two men who were dressed like they loathed the cold.

"That man coming back?" One of them asked.

"Just getting some salt and ketchup," Sokoto said as he watched the father stop and go to the restroom, "And now he's out for a few. So, what can I do you for?"

The men sat down in front of him. One of them spoke, "Listen. We know you need help in rescuing your friends."

"What do you know?" Sokoto asked.

"You may be in for it," the man said, "The women here are out to manipulate us. They use the IS to change the minds of men and children, and turn them against the natural world order. You've seen it firsthand, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sokoto responded, "I have seen a few crazy women here and there."

"It's especially bad down south," the other man said, "Sexism has virtually divided them into a warring race. They fight over who gets the last strawberry, for God's sake!"

"Cringe..." Cringe.

"But you see..." he pointed to Sokoto's collar, "You have the tools to carry us out of the dark ages. The Infinite Stratos."

"Yeah, what if it? What's so important about that you wanna manipulate it for your own ends?"

"You say manipulate," the first man said, "but we speak the truth. Are you aware of the true nature of the IS?"

"That's it's a living, breathing being?" Sokoto quipped, "Yeah, I got that already."

"A living, breathing being," that part hurt the man to say, "that can only be operated by women."

"...Huh?" Sokoto, not kidding here, HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THAT UNTIL THE MAN JUST SAID IT.

"He's clueless! Totally clueless!" The man exclaimed.

"Easy," the other man said, "How do I explain? Think back to all the battles you've fought up to now. What gender were your opponents?" As Sokoto's train of thought chugged along, it revisited his memories of the pilots and police forces he encountered. A bunch of women. A few girls. All female. The train of thought sped up immensely. The man continued, "And those who utilize the same IS technology you have. Did you see anyone who didn't have long hair or noticeable eyelashes?" Only one stood out in mind. The one who killed Squall. The train reached full speed and full capacity. The man continued, "Now, think back to the cities, the villages, the environments you crossed over the years. What were the women doing?" The train encountered situations like that long before the IS. It would have been nothing more than past glances were it not for this newfound passenger of the woman-exclusive condition of the IS. Now it knew why the people acted like that. Now it all makes sense! The prison camps in Chūbu. Why all the prisoners were male. The women did whatever they wanted. He thought there was a reason to it. But nope. It was because the women were one hundred percent bored. Bored of having absolute power with no one to use it on. How the train arrive at the following stop is something that will never be properly explained, but for all intents and purposes, this is the final stop:

Tabane Shinonono done FUCKED IT UP!

"Am I...the second..." Sokoto asked solemnly.

"'Fraid so," the man answered.

That's what Sokoto didn't want to hear. But something was off putting about their tone of voice, their rhetoric. More over, their auras. A hint of sadism.

He decided to ask a test question, "Are there any good women?"

"Don't be silly," the first man said, "Women have been at the heels of deception for as long as the human race began. There are no good women, they only make us think they're good."

And there it was. The reason he could not bring himself to join them. He has operated on a principle: that everyone has a right to life, and those that abuse others' rights to life will have theirs taken away. And these men were walking an extremely thin red line. And if he was going by their logic...

...then the IS is the women's fault. But the men are just as guilty for allowing this to happen.

But speaking of women... the second test question, "And my friends?"

"They were never your friends to begin with," the other man said, "They are warping your mind."

"You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort," the first man said, "we can help you there." And they waited for Sokoto's response.

He closed his eyes and waited for the father's aura to change from relief to hungry. Then, he opened his eyes and gave them his answer, "Yeah, I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

One man's aura turned dark. The other man's aura turned fiery. He put his shield bracelet on standby. But they heard the father come out of the bathroom. The men turned to the renegade one last time, "You're making a big mistake."

"You better go before I make another," Sokoto glared. The father went back to his seat, while the men left. Sokoto pretended to talk crazy with the father until the men have left the premises.

"*HEAVYSIGH*...thanks for the heads up," Sokoto said.

"Anytime," the father showed down, "So, I guess you're all straightened out now?"

"Yeah..." Sokoto ate, "I got my vision fixed."

"In just an hour?"

"An hour, plus that rant time we spent together."

"Good," the father pulled out a tablet and opened up a tracking app.

"Wuzzat?" Sokoto asked.

"I stung Autumn with a magical nanobug," the father explained, "This'll let me know where she's going and where she's stopping."

"Huh...nifty."

"Rule number three: prepare for everything. That's why we don't have any time to waste with this. Preparation, move out." They looked at the tablet, "They've crossed into Québec. That's quite a ways from here. As soon as we finish up, we go, and don't stop for nothing."

"But what if I have to go during all this?"

"Five minutes max. After that, do it in the trunk."

"Are you sure?"

"It ain't my truck, so fuck it."

"Well, in that case..." Sokoto and Squall's father finished up theirbfood and their sodas. They let out one very hearty burp that caught the attention of the entire diner. Then, they upped and left.

"You ain't gonna go?" The father asked.

"Like you said," Sokoto smirked, "It ain't your truck."

"Re-fucking-gret..." the father mumbled as he dumped the trays in the trash. The two left the diner in high spirits as the loaded onto the truck. Several people followed them out, completely captivated by the living...yaoi...fanfic material...

"Um..." a girl asked, "Can I get a picture with you..."

"Love to," Sokoto said as he hopped aboard the bed of the truck, "but we ain't got time."

"Why?" Someone else asked.

"We got debts to pay," the father said, "We're on a rescue mission."

"We're gonna save Anna, Madoka, and Cecilia," Sokoto noticed someone recording them, "and you can share that."

The father was about to shut Sokoto up, but, "I'm out of fucks to give. Let's just get this over with." He shook it off and drove the truck onto the main highway, while the people just looked on with admiration. Someone uploaded the video.

 **-PRIME MINISTER'S MANSION, ONTARIO PROVINCE; 10:00, 33 HOURS TO SHOWCASE-**

In front of thousands of hopefuls and cameras, The Prime Minister welcomed the team assigned to set up the event, as well as a very special guest, whom everyone went wild over.

"Good to see you again, Ms. Weaver," he greeted.

"Likewise," Rachel said, "I'm sorry about Ms. Alcott."

"May God help her soul..." he responded, "Well, then. Shall we?" Rachel and he went inside to have a private meeting. They walked down the main hallway while talking.

"I trust your men have prepared everything?" Rachel asked.

"Already done," the Prime Minister responded, "They made the final preparations a few hours before you arrived."

"Fantastic! Now we can move forward with the event."

"Are you sure? What about the renegade?"

"Don't worry. My team are stationed throughout Ontario and Québec. He won't get very far."

"I should assume not..."he said as he received two anonymous messages,

"He refused."

"It is done."

"He can be quite a handful from what Cecilia told me. You can rein him in before the ceremony?"

"I already have a few hands helping. He is as good as gone."

 **-ONTARIO MILLS FASHION CENTER, ONTARIO PROVINCE; 10:22, 32 HOURS 38 MINUTES TO SHOWCASE-**

"Zzz..."

Tatenashi was snoozing just below the main entrance sign. She spent all day yesterday trying to keep up with the dizziness of the sudden rush of events, eventually having to take a 10-hour nap. She was awakened when her IS beeped in a message from the UN chief.

"Wazzawuzzuh...huh?...Who and why?..."

She checked the message: "RENEGADE ENTERING ONTARIO. ALL UNITS ON HIGH ALERT."

"Hm?" She looked online for any news of the renegade. She found a video where he was joined by the man he lade out with and they explicitly stated that they were on a mission to rescue Cecilia, Anna, and Madoka, essentially blowing their cover in an effort to put the country into a frenzy. And judging from the comments, it worked.

"Guess my little tip off paid off!" Tatenashi smiled as she was glad she took the risk to fly to Finlay Forks immediately after the ship pic went viral, tail the Task for a couple days, then immediately jump back onto her original missions. Thankfully she finished everything she needed to do for the moment. She could not completely call it done until the renegade showed up, "Now that everything has oh so chaotically fallen into place, I can afford myself a little break." She got up and stretched her body out big time, catching the attention of some shoppers at the mall. "Y'all going shopping?"

"Yeah! We're just getting ready for the Top Gun tomorrow!"

"Oh! Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure!"

And just like that, Tatenashi was whisked away to the land of massages and loose clothing. She put her earbuds on to drown out her responsibilities. Or at least she wanted to, when she heard a soft resonant piano intro.

"Oh, wow," she awed, "what's that song?"

"I recognize that tune!" One of the shoppers gleefully said, "That's Death and All His Friends!"

"You don't say?"

"Yeah, and keep it flowing through the somber intro. It'll get kickass by the midway point."

 _(All winter, we got carried)_

"Heheheh, ok!" Tatenashi stuffed her earbuds back in her pocket.

 _And thus the race begins._

 _(Away, over on the rooftops, "Let's get married!")_

 _The race to save Cecilia, Madoka, and Autumn from impending doom and permanent neurological trauma._

 _(All summer, we just hurried. So, come over, just be patient, and don't worry.)_

 _Although Cecilia is being made into a sex doll, she still maintains a faint glimmer of hope amidst the countless hours of forced pleasure._

 _(So, come over, just be patient, and don't worry.)_

 _Autumn has arrived at the headquarters, where she is being prepped for subjugation by Forte's hand. She must confront her innermost emotions, then make her choice as soon as the man who carries inside him the soul of her beloved at last comes to retrieve her._

 _Madoka is being mercilessly tortured into her old sadistic, psychopathic self. She slowly links similarities between Ichika and Sokoto, drawing them as blatant backstabbing bastards who deserve nothing more than to die by her hand. With each blow to her body, she slips further into insanity, until no longer curable._

 _(So, come over, just be patient, and don't worry.)_

 _But in her deepest pits of madness, she links a small tidbit of reason: Ichika and Sokoto are dense. They don't know any better. And if they did, they'd forget it instantly in the face of pressure._

 _(And don't worry...)_

 _And it's this reason that she believes the renegade will come, regardless of whether she wants him to or not._

 _(Try...)_

 _And he is coming. He and Squall's father are making a mad dash to Autumn's location as we speak._

 _(Try...)_

 _Sokoto keeps a vigilant eye, looking for any signs of authority._

 _(Try...)_

 _Squall's father remains intent on getting Sokoto to his destination._

 _(Try...)_

 _He clutches the locket she gave him the day they went to the airport. So many things he wanted to say, wanted to do..._

 _...here comes his chance to do those things and say those words._

 _Sokoto sees the police hot on the trail, and it reminds him of the better days when he was looking out for number one, making all the destruction and bedlam he wanted. He has to choose whether or not he's ready to compromise that passion in exchange for his new family._

 _Luckily, he'll get some help, thought he does not yet know it. For a small yellow holographic Kagamine Rin sprite peeks up from his left shoulder, horrified by the sheer amount of cars chasing him. It taps on his shoulder, and though he can't feel it, he instantly activates his shield bracelet and toys with the police._

 _And then, the most amazing thing blared out of their bullhorns:_

 _"You're going straight to jail if you're lying to us, renegade!"_

 _The spirits strike high in the sky for him. He and Squall's father give each other a thumbs up. The truck rockets to its maximum speed. The sprite flies off his shoulder and comically slams into a bag. The sirens blare. It's the coming of the Valkyrie._

 _(No, I don't wanna battle from beginning to end!_

 _I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge!_

 _I don't wanna follow Death and All His Friends!)_

 _And the eyes of the world are watching. The renegade has revealed himself for what he truly is: a troublemaking teenager with the mind of a toddler, who is still coping with the fact that he is but one of two men who hold exceptional power. An overwhelming amount has already written him off as dead, but a small number are cheering him on._

 _(No, I don't wanna battle from beginning to end!_

 _I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge!_

 _I don't wanna follow Death and All His Friends!)_

 _And so, Canada looks to tomorrow with uncertainty as to whether the renegade will bring salvation or ruin. Eyes and ears on every movement, every thought. Treading carefully towards the next episode of Infinite Stratos...Virus._

 _ **-AFTERWARD-**_

 _Normally, I don't make these. I stopped leaving notes around episode 3 because I didn't feel it necessary. But now I feel it is necessary, so I must address this issue._

 _To all who decided to give IS Virus a small glance, thank you. To those who read this fanfic, thank you. But if you do read it, please leave a review of what you thought about a certain chapter or episode after you read. This not only lets me know that you really do like what I'm doing, it also lets me know what questions you have, what I can improve on. If not a lot of reviews are coming in, then I won't know whether I'm really taking the series to where I want it to go. Or whether it should continue. So, if you would, please leave a review after you read and spread word about IS Virus to as many people as you can. I will try to respond to the reviews as promptly as possible. Who knows? If a certain episode get enough reviews, there may be some instances where you, the readers, decide what happens next._

 _With all that said, thank you to the few who stood by Sokoto's side from the beginning and continue to this day. There is much more in store for him when the time comes. And to those who just found this fanfic, I invite you to stick around for the long haul, and I promise you will not be disappointed. Until then, I will see you all soon._

 _NYAN NYAN_


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